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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29585349">Pain In The Ass (Eric Divergent Fanfic)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Damon_Baird/pseuds/Damon_Baird'>Damon_Baird</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Eric Coulter - Divergent [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Divergent Series - Veronica Roth</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-16 00:28:29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>22,838</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29585349</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Damon_Baird/pseuds/Damon_Baird</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Elizabeth Montoya is a young student who is finishing up school. She takes a test that will decide the rest of her life, and it changes her entirely. At only sixteen, Elizabeth is thrown into the real world and is forced to fight for her right to live in her new faction.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Eric/Original Female Character(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Eric Coulter - Divergent [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2173602</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Aptitude Test</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>
    <em>Elizabeth</em>
  </b>
</p><p>I take a deep breath as I stare at the mirror in front of me. My black and white clothing almost makes me blend into the bathroom wall. A beautiful black and white flower made from fabric sits in my hair.</p><p>"Elizabeth, Darling! We'll be late!" My mother calls up the stairs.</p><p>"Coming!"</p><p>~</p><p>"Please sit down with your faction, and we will call you one by one to take the test. Remember, children. Once you have taken the test, you cannot speak to anyone else about your given results."</p><p>The woman from Abnegation speaks in a low and kind voice as she addresses us. The cafeteria bursts into laughter and yelling when she leaves to get the test examiners ready.</p><p>"I doubt anyone from Abnegation will transfer. They never do. That faction is full of nothing but cowards." A boy dressed in blue remarks, his Erudite arrogance shining in his eyes as he looks at the sea of grey clothing sitting at a table across the cafeteria.</p><p>"Be nice, Andy. Didn't you hear about the Abnegation who transferred to Dauntless last year? She was apparently the best in her year despite never once dealing with other people before transferring." Another girl dressed in blue has her nose in a book as she speaks.</p><p>The Abnegation woman returns, and she begins to call sets of ten students. Two from each faction get called, and they each disappear into the testing rooms that are always locked throughout the year until today. When it is my turn, I rise from my chair and walk toward the woman. The other to get called from my faction is a boy not that much bigger than I am. He is nervous and shaking, his exposed skin coated in sweat. He looks at me from the corner of his eye, but I don't look back. An Abnegation man leads me into one of the testing rooms and very quietly insists that I sit in the reclining chair placed in the middle of the room.</p><p>The man tapes away at the keyboard that sits in front of a computer as I relax into the chair. The walls, apart from the wall with the door, are made entirely of mirrors. The man never even takes a peek at the mirror walls as he stands to speak to me.</p><p>"The Aptitude Test is designed to rule out whatever factions you won't fit into. From the results you get during this test, you will pick the faction that you will spend the rest of your life in. The test does not define who you are, but it can change you. There will be a series of trials, and your decisions will determine your results." The man says in a boring tone.</p><p>He fills a small cup with a translucent blue liquid and holds it out to me. I take it from him without questioning him and stay still as he connects sensors to my forehead. Wires run from the sensors into the back of the computer monitor.</p><p>"Drink that." The man orders, pointing to the cup.</p><p>I toss my head back as I put the cup to my lips and force the liquid down my throat. It leaves a rotten taste on my tongue.</p><p>"Your eyes are pretty." I tell the man as I black out.</p><p>~</p><p>I wake up standing beside an indoor pool. The only ones left in the Chicago Ruins the five factions live within are dry and molded, so the clear blue water within the pool surprises me. Something at the bottom of the pool glitters, and a few bubbles float to the surface a few inches to the side of the glare.</p><p>"Choose." A voice beside me says.</p><p>I look to the side and see tables instead of a person. There are three tables, each holding up different items. One has a knife, one has a key, and one has a net.</p><p><em>The knife can cut rope, and bubbles in water means someone is tied down there. The key must be to the door that leads outside. The net could be used to get whatever is glaring in the light and sits at the bottom of the pool. </em>I breath softly as I think about what the items represent.</p><p>I grab the knife and dive into the pool. The glittering object is gone, and a young boy struggles to untie a thick rope that is holding him down by the ankle. He thrashes when I reveal the knife, and I struggle to cut the rope because he doesn't sit still enough. I finally get the rope cut, and the boy swims to the surface.</p><p>Something wraps around my ankle when I try to follow him, and I look down to see that the rope is now wrapped around my ankle. I struggle to reach down, and I manage to cut the rope. I swim to the surface, and I'm suddenly no longer in the pool. I am in a pond somewhere close to the wall that lines the old city.</p><p>"Have you seen anyone go through the gates?" A man asks as I pull myself out of the water.</p><p>"No." I reply automatically.</p><p>"Are you lying?"</p><p>"Why would I lie? I just got here."</p><p>The Dauntless man raises an eyebrow before turning his back on me. I take a step to follow him, but I am suddenly not by the fence anymore. I am standing on top of one of the tallest buildings in Chicago, staring out over the city.</p><p>"Jump or join the other civilians in the elevator." A woman's voice orders.</p><p>I step onto the ledge of the building and look down. The ground is far below me, and there are screams echoing through the air. I look over my shoulder to see that the elevator to the ground floor is packed with people. I don't hesitate to let my body fall forward.</p><p>The ground was approaching me at an alarmingly fast rate. Once it gets close enough, my body almost naturally curls into a ball. I roll out of the fetal position as I hit the ground, and my muscles feel like they are burning as I try to regain my senses.</p><p>A black boot appears in my field of vision, and I look up. A Dauntless man armed with a gun stands in front of me. Behind him is an ongoing battle.</p><p>"Can you shoot?" He asks, holding out a second gun.</p><p>"No!" I yell over the noise.</p><p>"Will you fight anyway?"</p><p>"Yes!"</p><p>I take the gun and run full speed into the chaos behind him.</p><p>~</p><p>I wake with a jolt, and the Abnegation man rests a hand on my leg to settle me. I clear my throat and brush his hand away as I sit up. He turns his attention to the computer and begins to type. He smiles at me when he finishes.</p><p>"Your results are Candor and Dauntless."</p><p>I nod once, and he leads me out of the room as I stand.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Choosing Day</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Elizabeth</p><p>My family eats in silent the night before Choosing Day. Every other night is usually loud and chaotic because of my two younger brothers, but they sit quietly. The only sound in the entire house is silverware scraping against glass plates. When dinner is done, my parents gather the dirty dishes while my brothers and I put the leftovers in the fridge. My mother sends my brothers to their room and tells me to sit on the couch in the living room.</p><p>"Elizabeth, we want you to know that we will love you no matter what faction you choose." My mother says, tears in her eyes.</p><p>"We don't want you to feel like you have to pick Candor to make us happy. Whoever you decide to be will make us proud." My father gives me a small smile.</p><p>~</p><p>I join the other sixteen year olds as we line up in alphabetical order. The order is the same as it is every year, starting at the end of the alphabet rather than the beginning, so I am close to the start.</p><p>A table with five bowls stands on a stage in the middle of a room inside the Hub. Each bowl has a faction symbol on it, and the bowls hold objects that represent the factions. On the stage stands the Amity faction leader, Johanna Reyes. She is dressed from head to toe in various colors of red and yellow, and there is a smile on her face. She says each faction manifesto, starting with Amity and ending with Dauntless. She says her own version of the speech each faction leader says before the children change their lives forever, and she then begins to call names.</p><p>Four others stand in line before me. Two Erudite, one Amity, and another Candor. Each one steps onto the stage when their names are called, and they each take the knife from Johanna when she offers it to them. They stand before the five bowls, cut the palms of the right hands, and choose their lives. Both Erudite choose to transfer, one going to Dauntless and the other going to Candor. The Amity boy stays in his faction, and my fellow Candor transfers to Abnegation.</p><p>"Elizabeth Montoya!" Johanna yells.</p><p>There is a sharp ringing in my ears as I walk up to her and take the knife. I stand in front of the five bowls and look at each of them. Grey stones for Abnegation, Water for Erudite, Soil for Amity, Hot Coals for Dauntless, and Glass for Candor. I drag the knife over my palm and hold my hand out as I find my family in the crowd. The crowd silences as my blood makes a sizzling sound when it hits my choice.</p><p>"Dauntless!"</p><p>I put a small bandage over the cut on my hand and join my faction as they burst into chants and cheers.</p><p>~</p><p>When the Choosing Ceremony is over, the factions filter out of the Hub and go their seperate ways. The Dauntless crowd moves like a wave of water as they run to the train tracks. We stand at a part of the tracks that isn't on ground level, and the Dauntless take turns on who is climbing the structure beam. The group of transfers, including me, is left at the bottom with a handful of the older Dauntless.</p><p>"This is the first of two parts into getting into the Dauntless compound." A man says, climbing up the structure beam slightly to look at all of us. "Climb up and jump onto the train. If you can't do that, you're not fit for our faction."</p><p>We each take turns climbing the beam, and I easily pull myself up onto the platform the other Dauntless members stand on. The loud horn of the train drowns out all of the noise as it barrels around the corner of a building. The Dauntless at the other end of the platform start running, and I follow behind the sea of black. The train charges past me, and I see doors of the cars open and black masses flying in with ease. I am one of the first transfers to make it onto the train, a man grabbing under my arm and pulling me in as I hang onto the side.</p><p>"You're a quick learner. I'm surprised you're not from Erudite." The man says, clamping his hand down on my shoulder.</p><p>The man has a mess of brown hair. Two piercings are above his right eye, and his ears are pierced. A black tattoo covers most of the skin on the front of his neck, and I can see a different color of ink peeking out from the bottom of his right sleeve.</p><p>"Is that supposed to be a compliment?" I ask, crossing my arms as I stare at him. "If it is, you need to work on your communication skills. Complimenting someone for climbing into a moving train and saying they should've been born in another faction is rude."</p><p>"Candor. I should've guessed from your clothes. You'd think I'd keep my mouth shut around you people." The man shakes his head.</p><p>"For the record, I'm not Candor anymore. I'm Dauntless now, unless I fail the entrance exams." I stare out of the train car and watch the city buildings go by in a blur.</p><p>"Then lose the Candor behavior. Lie sometimes. Don't continue to say things without a filter."</p><p>I roll my eyes, and I hear a high pitched whistle. The man steps up to the door of the train car and holds onto the side as he looks out. He turns back to face everyone in the car, all of which are transfers, and he keeps his eyes on me as he speaks.</p><p>"Here's the next part of your test to get into the compound. You have to jump off of the train and onto the top of the building that's coming up." He says.</p><p>Some of the people behind me start to whisper, and the man smirks as he stares at me.</p><p>"Go." He says, his eyes to the side as he looks outside.</p><p>I very quickly run toward the door, and I send myself flying into the air. My feet hit the ground, and I tumble across the pebbles that line the top of the building I land on. I get to my feet and brush off the pebbles as the man who was talking to me walks by unscathed. I follow behind him, but he disappears into the crowd of Dauntless that have gathered together by the edge of the building on the opposite side to where I landed. I stand back enough to see the front, and I see the man clearly as he stands on the small wall that lines the building's edge.</p><p>"My name is Eric." He yells. "I am one of the leaders of Dauntless. Those of you have made it this far shouldn't celebrate. Behind me is an opening in the building next to this one. For your next challenge, you'll have to jump into it."</p><p>"What's at the bottom? Water?" Someone asks.</p><p>"That's for me to know, and for you to find out. Now, who's going to go first?" The man, Eric, smiles.</p><p>His eyes scan across the crowd until he finds me. His smile remains as he stares directly at me, silently challenging me to be the first to jump. I scoff and make my way through the crowd, pushing people out of the way. I don't look at Eric when I stand on the edge beside him, looking down at the large hole he spoke of.</p><p>"It would've been nice to know you're a faction leader. I wouldn't have talked back the way I did." I whisper to him.</p><p>"I got you to be Dauntless. We talk back, no matter who we're talking to." Eric says. "Let me jump before you do. I want to check and make sure everything is good."</p><p>He turns and faces the same way I am and takes a large jump, sending himself directly to the middle of the hole. There is no sound from him as he falls, but he whistles at the bottom of the hole. I take a deep breath and push off of the ledge. I do a front flip as I send myself forward, and I hear a girl scream behind me as I fall. I am enveloped in darkness and cold air once I am past the opening in the building.</p><p>My back hits something before I can begin to panic, and I bounce into the air a few times before I stop. I roll onto my stomach and realize I am laying in the middle of a large net. Eric stands at the side and holds his arm out to me. I take his hand, and he pulls me to the edge. He holds my hips as I jump off of the net, and his hands remain there when my feet touch the ground.</p><p>"What's your name?" He asks, the question shining in his eyes as if he's saying I can choose one.</p><p>"Eli." I breathe.</p><p>"Eli?" He smirks. "Are you sure? You can't change it again."</p><p>I open my mouth to question him and remember he was at the Choosing Ceremony. I choose to answer his question instead.</p><p>"Yes. I'm sure."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Training Begins</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>
    <em>Elizabeth</em>
  </b>
</p><p>Eric and I stand side by side as we wait for the others to jump. Many of the initiates are afraid to stand near Eric, but I stand my ground.</p><p>"You must be a favorite of his if he's letting you stand that close." Someone scoffs.</p><p>Two people walk up to me and Eric, and they stand directly in front of us. One is a girl who looks to be only a year older than me, her brunette hair tied back in a ponytail. The man standing beside her is not quite the same height as Eric, but he towers over me and the girl. His hair is jet black and cut short.</p><p>"Four! Tris! How nice of you two to show up." Eric speaks with venom in his words as he stares at the two.</p><p>"Hi! I'm Tris. I was apart of last year's initiates. I transferred from Abnegation." The girl, Tris, holds her hand out to me.</p><p>I merely stare at her. "Eli. I'd prefer you didn't touch me. I don't really care about you or about where you transfered from."</p><p>It takes one simple movement from Eric for me to get a slap in the back of my head. I hiss in pain and look at him, but his eyes are on the two in front of us. I look at them and see that the man is glaring at me.</p><p>"It's alright, Four. She didn't mean anything about it. You didn't have to hit her, Eric." Tris scowls.</p><p>"She knows why I did it." Eric snaps.</p><p>I roll my eyes. "You can't beat the Candor out of me, Eric."</p><p>"I can if I try hard enough."</p><p>~</p><p>The Dauntless initiation starts with knife, gun, and hand to hand combat training. The initiates all train together, so Dauntless-born and transfers stand in a crowd. Eric, Four, and a woman named Lauren are our instructors.</p><p>"The next three days will be intense. You're going to learn how to fight, and the fourth and fifth day of your training will be one on one matches so we can see if you've improved and what you have learned." Eric says.</p><p>The three make sure each of us has a punching bag to ourselves. Four demonstrates a few of the basic moves someone can do, and we all begin to work. Eric hovers in my area, his eyes on other initiates but his body closer to me.</p><p>"You are being very obvious that you're fixated on me, Eric, even if you're not looking at me." I say, flinching as one of my knuckles starts bleeding.</p><p>"Shut it, or I'll lay you flat on your back."</p><p>"Like you could even lift me up off the ground."</p><p>"I can do it with one hand behind my back."</p><p>I laugh, and Eric suddenly looks at me. His blue green eyes hold an emotion I don't recognize. He turns his whole body toward me, and I back away when he starts walking toward me.</p><p>"No, Eric! Don't touch me!" I scream.</p><p>I back up against a wall, and I feel ten times smaller than I really am as he stalks up to me. His arm snakes around me too quickly for me to get away, and I let out a noise if fear as he lifts me off of the floor. Everyone in the room has their eyes on us.</p><p>"E-Eric! Put me down!" I plead.</p><p>"I told you I could pick you up with one arm. You surprisingly don't weigh much." He says as he puts me down.</p><p>I hit his arm before going back to my punching bag.</p><p>~</p><p>"First jumper! To the ring! Last jumper, you too."</p><p>I step up onto the raised platform in the middle of the large training room, and a boy my size but built with more muscle does the same. Eric doesn't say a word as I walk in one direction, making the boy do the same.</p><p>"It's like a hunter and its prey." One of the Dauntless-Born whispers.</p><p>"But who's the hunter and who's the prey?" Another mutters.</p><p>"It's obvious who the hunter is. Look at the difference in the eyes and how the move. The hunter is definitely Eli."</p><p>"Somebody throw a punch already!"</p><p>Eric's sudden outburst startles the boy, and I launch myself across the platform. I drive my elbow into his stomach, causing him to grunt. He falls to the floor, and I pin him down by sitting on his torso. I ball my hand into a first and punch him in the face repeatedly. I stand up when his eyes close. I shake my hand when my knuckles start hurting, and I look at Eric. He raises an eyebrow.</p><p>"Howard." He says.</p><p>Another boy steps up onto the platform. Howard, as Eric called him, is several inches taller than me.</p><p>"Are you going to circle me, too?" He smirks.</p><p>"So you're a belittler when you fight, huh?" I stand so one foot was in front of the other.</p><p>"I'm a what?"</p><p>"Did they not teach you big words while you were in school, Howie?"</p><p>"Don't call me that!"</p><p>He barrels toward me in a blind rage like a bull, and I step to the side. He tumbles to the floor when he steps off of the platform. It doesn't take him long to get up and run at me again. I lower my shoulder, and I catch his arm as he tries to hit me. I turn sharply and throw him over my shoulder. He slams onto the platform, and I kick his side. He rolls to his feet and managers to punch me in the jaw, knocking a tooth loose.</p><p>Howard looks horrified as I spit the tooth out, and I punch him directly in the face. He falls backward and hits his head hard on the ground, and he doesn't get back up. I wipe the blood away when it starts flowing down my chin.</p><p>"Four, keep them busy. I'll take Eli to the infirmary." Eric says as the others take Howard and the first boy I fought away.</p><p>Four gives Eric a quick nod, and Eric roughly grabs onto my shoulder. He walks behind me, but he makes me follow the others who are heading to the infirmary.</p><p>"I'm truly impressed. Where did you learn all of that combat?" Eric asks as we walk.</p><p>"My two younger brothers liked to wrestle. I had to learn some moves incase they decided I was their next opponent." I reply.</p><p>The rest of the walk consists of silence, the only sound being the other Dauntless members who are mingling around the compound. Eric opens a door when we go down a hallway, and the atmosphere changes. The room is brightly lit up, and beds take up most of the space. I step behind Eric when a woman walks up to me.</p><p>"What can I do for you, Eric?" The girl smiles flirtatiously. "You didn't get in another fight, did you?"</p><p>"You had two teenage boys come in at the same time a few minutes ago, right?" Eric steps to the side and motions to me. "She's the one that beat them up. She got split knuckles and a possibly broken jaw because of them. Mind taking a look?"</p><p>The woman looks me over head to toe, an angry look in her eyes when she realizes I am her patient and not Eric. She scoffs at me before silently making her way over to an unoccupied bed. Eric lays his hand on the lower half of my back and gives a little push as we walk to the bed. I sit down, and the woman roughly grabs my hand. I let out a whimper when my knuckles hurt.</p><p>"Didn't I say she has busted knuckles? You better be careful, or I'll do the same thing those boys did to her to you, and you won't enjoy it." Eric snaps at the woman, crossing his arms over his chest as he stands at the end of the bed.</p><p>The woman tenses, and she smiles sweetly at Eric as she apologizes. The smile is gone when she refocuses on me. She wraps my knuckles in bandages, and I groan in pain as she grabs my chin. I see Eric twitch slightly, and I take a deep breath. The woman presses her thumb along my jaw, and I finally whine in pain when she reaches where the tooth I lost had been. I smack her hand away immediately.</p><p>"My jaw isn't broken, okay? I lost a tooth!" I growl. "Would you stop prodding at me like that?"</p><p>"Eric said there was a possibility that your jaw is broken. I was checking to make sure." The woman replies rather angrily.</p><p>"You're just doing it because you think if you please him by doing as he says that he'll get in your pants later." I shove her away and get off of the bed. "If you've noticed, Blondie, he's more worried about you hurting me than you fixing me. Open your eyes. He doesn't like the one that's doing the check up. He likes the one who's getting checked."</p><p>I walk away from her, and Eric follows behind me without a word. I hear the woman curse as we reach the door, and Eric steps out of the room. I join him a few minutes later. He's leaning against the wall when I stand in front of him.</p><p>"What all did you do?" Eric asks without looking at me.</p><p>"She most likely won't be waking up for a few hours." I say.</p><p>"Body slam?"</p><p>"No. I did that over the shoulder throw I did to Howard. The only difference is that she hit her head on a table and not the floor. The other nurse that's in there made sure she isn't bleeding, and I moved her to one of the beds."</p><p>Eric laughs as he pinches the bridge of his nose with his thumb and index finger.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Body In The Water</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>
    <em>Elizabeth</em>
  </b>
</p><p>Eric walks with me to the cafeteria later that day. He stays silent as we walk in, and all eyes turn to us. I step away from him to stand in the food line.</p><p>"You're one of the Candor transfers, right?" A Dauntless-Born initiate who stands in line in front of me asks. "Eric's favorite? Eli, isn't it?"</p><p>"Yes. I wouldn't say I'm Eric's favorite." I reply.</p><p>"You must not have seen the real Eric yet. He hates just about everyone here, and he doesn't like people talking back. He lets you talk back, and he stands closer to you than anyone else. Hell, he came in the cafeteria with you. He's even staring at us right now to see if I'm going to hurt you."</p><p>I look over my shoulder, and the boy is right. I can see Eric from where I stand. He sits with Four, Tris, and a handful of others at one of the many tables in the cafeteria, and his eyes are on me.</p><p>"I don't think I'm his favorite. I think he likes me." I say.</p><p>The boy pays for his food, and I do the same. I walk with him to the table for initiates, and I sit down so I can still see Eric from where I am.</p><p>"Has anybody seen Paul?" Someone asks.</p><p>"Last I saw of him, he was in bed this morning."</p><p>"I saw him in the Pit."</p><p>"He was staring into the Chasm, wasn't he?"</p><p>An eerie silence falls over the initiate tables as we all remember Four's words during the compound tour days ago.</p><p>
  <em>"Don't let it be surprising if someone dies. You don't know how many people have thrown themselves into the Chasm instead of going factionless."</em>
</p><p>We all jump up in a rush, gaining the attention of everyone else in the cafeteria, and we run in a herd to the doors. I come to a forced stop when someone grabs my arm.</p><p>"What the hell is going on? Where are all of you going?" Eric asks, Four and Tris behind him.</p><p>"One of the initiates, Paul, is missing." I breathe, brushing his hand off and running after the others.</p><p>The staircase down into the Pit is blocked by initiates and unaware Dauntless members. Some of the male initiates take the daring leap over the edge of the raised walls of the Pit, and I follow behind them. We each tumble to the ground and roll to our feet before running to the railing that runs along the section of the Chasm that goes through the Pit. A girl makes it to the railings first and lets out a horrific scream.</p><p>I stand at the railings and will myself to look at the bottom of the Chasm. A boy lays in a shallow place of the rushing waters, and the water around him and further down the currents is stained red. His eyes are open, and his body is disfigured from falling and landing on the sharp rocks that line the bottom of the Chasm.</p><p>"Paul!" The girl yells, breaking into a sob.</p><p>"Someone get the ropes. Move the initiates away." Someone older orders when he looks over the Chasm rails.</p><p>A hand grips my shoulder, and I take a deep breath.</p><p>"You okay?" Eric's voice is quiet so he doesn't attract attention.</p><p>"I know him." I whisper. "I <em>knew</em> him."</p><p>I turn my back on the Chasm and walk away. Eric follows me as I head down one of the many halls within the compound. He slips ahead of me and leads me in a different direction. He slides into one of the unmarked rooms and pulls me in behind him. Inside is a bed, a small kitchen like area, and a bathroom off the side of the kitchen area.</p><p>"Is this-?" I look around.</p><p>"My room." He clarifies.</p><p>I nod slowly, and he makes me sit on the bed. He sits beside me, our arms brushing together.</p><p>"Tell me about him. It'll make you feel a little better." He says.</p><p>"Paul was in Candor like me. I didn't talk much when I went to school, but everyone in Candor knew who Paul was. He was loud, and he laughed a lot. I think the girl who screamed was his girlfriend who followed him into Dauntless." I mutter, squinting my eyes as I think.</p><p>"I'll have someone keep an eye on her." Eric moves his arm and wraps it around me. "Anything else you want to say?"</p><p>"He asked me out once."</p><p>"And?"</p><p>"I turned him down. I didn't want to be with anyone before I chose where I was going to be the rest of my life. I didn't want a guy dictating where I go just so I can stay with him."</p><p>"Wise choice."</p><p>"But I think he followed me."</p><p>Eric runs his hand up and down my arm. "Why do you say that?"</p><p>"Paul wasn't a fighter. He hated violence. Back in school, I always thought he'd stay in Candor or go to Abnegation. I didn't even realize he came to Dauntless until I saw his body at the bottom of the Chasm."</p><p>"Then he didn't belong here. He knew that. That's why he chose to take the cowardly route instead of being factionless. He could've lived a long life, but he chose to end it because he couldn't be with you."</p><p>"He ended it because he knew you like me, and I like you back."</p><p>I look at Eric, and the tough man shell is gone. He has a look of sympathy and uncertainty, and his blue green eyes shine with an overwhelming amount of love and selflessness. I look away as tears roll down my face.</p><p>"Maybe if I had said something to him before the Choosing Ceremony, he wouldn't have been here. Maybe he would've been at Candor, laughing and speaking without care. Now he's just....... He's just a coward. That's how everyone will see him now. Just another body in the water."</p><p>Eric sighs, and I freeze when he presses his lips to the top of my head.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Game Start</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <b>Elizabeth</b>
  </em>
</p><p>I twirl the knife in my hand as I stare at the targets. Each one is occupied, so I'm waiting my turn. Eric stands in front of me, his back to me as he watches the initiates throwing knives. He stands directly in line with one of the targets.</p><p>"What are you planning?" Isaiah, one of the other initiates says as he stands beside me.</p><p>"I think he could use a little trim." Hailey stands on the other side of me.</p><p>"Off the top?" I ask.</p><p>"No. Right above the ear."</p><p>I hum and twirl the knife once more before easily slipping into a stance for throwing it. I snap my arm forward, and the knife flies through the air. It whizzes by Eric, who covers his ear seconds after it goes by and lets out a disgruntled noise. He turns and glares at the three of us.</p><p>"What the hell was that?!" He yells.</p><p>"A knife." I reply, smirking. "Haven't you ever seen one up close?"</p><p>"You smartmouth little-"</p><p>He stops talking when there's a faint thud behind him. He looks over his shoulder, dropping his hand and exposing the thin line of blood that runs down his skin. I can see over his shoulder, and only one knife is stuck in the target the initiate he was standing directly in front of is using. Eric glances at me before walking to the target and examining the knife.</p><p>He walks up to me and holds the knife up. His blood coats the blade.</p><p>"Who's idea was this?" He barks, towering over the three of us.</p><p>"Mine." We each say together.</p><p>Eric glares at me, and I smile. He grabs me by my arm, dismisses training, and drags me all the way to his room. I don't flinch when he slams the door.</p><p>"What are you trying to prove?" He demands.</p><p>"I'm not trying to prove anything." I raise an eyebrow.</p><p>"You're tormenting me."</p><p>"How is that?"</p><p>He rolls his eyes without answering, and the blood from his ear runs down the exposed skin of his chest. I make him sit on the bed, and he watches me as I go to the sink and wet a few paper towels. His eyes stay on me when I stand in front of him. I lean closer and wipe the blood away, being careful as I run the paper towels over the cut on his ear. Eric wraps his arm around me and makes me sit on his lap. I ignore him as I clean the small cut.</p><p>"I didn't mean to cut you. I let go of the knife a little late, and it grazed you." I whisper.</p><p>"It's fine. It didn't really hurt." He replies.</p><p>I set the blood red paper towels down and look around. Eric chuckles and reaches for the small nightstand beside his bed. He opens the top drawer and pulls out a small first-aid kit. I take it from him and get a small bandage out of it. He turns his head so I can reach his ear better, and I put the small bandaid on. He makes a face of discomfort.</p><p>"I have never put a bandage on my ear before." He says.</p><p>I look at Eric, and his mesmerizing blue green eyes stare back at me. I shift my gaze to the tattoo on his neck, and I run my fingers down the pattern.</p><p>"I want a tattoo." I whisper.</p><p>"I can take you to the parlor. I know one of the artists personally, and he knows how to make it where it doesn't hurt as much." Eric's muscles relax as I run my hand over the tattoo on his arm.</p><p>"When can we go?" I ask, running my index finger over the intricate ink design.</p><p>"Whenever you want to."</p><p>~</p><p>My skin itches as I walk with the other initiates. We are leaving the compound today, and we have to board the train to get where we needed to go.</p><p>"I see that bandage peeking out from under your ponytail, Eli. Did you get a tattoo?" Isaiah says from behind me.</p><p>"Yeah. It itches like crazy." I reply, running my hand over the bandage on the back of my neck.</p><p>"What did you get?"</p><p>"That's a secret."</p><p>Eric walks with Four ahead of me, but I can tell he's smirking at my comment. We all climb into the train car at the back, and I make sure I'm one of the last ones. Four and Eric stand at the doors to help everyone get in. Eric grabs my hand with the same gentleness he had when he pulled me off the net, and he smiles as he pulls me into the train car.</p><p>The train starts rolling soon after everyone is in and the doors are shut. Eric and Four grab what seem to be rolls of tools from a stack of boxes. Once they are unraveled, however, it's not tools that are in the rolls.</p><p>"Are those guns?" A girl asks.</p><p>"Dart guns." Eric corrects. "Each dart has a tranquilizer liquid in it. One hit from these, and you won't move."</p><p>They pass out the guns. Eric hands me one, and I notice it's already loaded. I look it over as Four speaks.</p><p>"We're playing Capture the Flag. Two teams. Eric and I are Captains." Four says, looking at Eric. "I'll give you first pick."</p><p>"Eli." My name slips out of Eric's mouth with ease.</p><p>I stand beside Eric, and the picking continues. Eric bumps his arm against my shoulder, and he nods his head toward one of my team members. They are talking smack to someone on Four's team. I look at the Dart Gun in my hand and look at Eric. He nods slightly, a movement almost unnoticeable if he isn't being directly looked at. I turn on my heel sharply and press the trigger of my Dart Gun after I aim, and the dart embeds itself in the boy's arm. He struggles to rip the dart out, and he becomes panicked when he can't move his arm.</p><p>"I told you it would be hard to move, didn't I?" Eric says, making it seem like he was the one who shot the boy and not me.</p><p>~</p><p>Eric's team jumps off of the train first. We jump out when we are at the old carnival, and I stare up at the ferris wheel. Several of the others have their flashlights out as we walk along the pier. The light of the flag illuminates the ground around me from being pinned to the bag I am wearing.</p><p>"We should put it up on the merry-go-round." Isaiah says.</p><p>"No. Let's hide it in one of the game booths." Amanda, a Dauntless-Born, mutters.</p><p>Eric turns to me, and so does everyone else.</p><p>"What do you say, Eli?" Eric questions.</p><p>I immediately point to the ferris wheel. "At the top of the wheel."</p><p>"You sure?"</p><p>"Yeah. There's only one way to get up there, so if they try to take it, they'll be vulnerable and can't rush it."</p><p>"Good thinking. Go put it in place. I'll be right behind you. As for the rest of you, find places to hide. Four likes to be the one to attack."</p><p>I walk over to the ladder that leads to the platform the operator would stand on. I grab onto the first bar and start climbing, and I hear Eric do the same not too long after me. I reach a gap where a bar is missing and stop.</p><p>"Something wrong?" Eric asks below me.</p><p>"There's a large gap." I reply.</p><p>He climbs up so he's directly behind me, and I can feel his breath on my neck. His hand touches my side, and his grip on the ladder tightens.</p><p>"I'll keep you from falling." He whispers.</p><p>I manage to climb up a few bars after the gap while he keeps his hold on me. It doesn't take too much longer to get to the platform. Eric hands me the flag when he takes it off of my bag, and I hook it to one of the safety rails.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Drawn Out Fight</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <b>Elizabeth</b>
  </em>
</p><p>I close my eyes as the wind forms into a soft breeze. Eric and I remain standing on the operator platform of the ferris wheel, and I can hear the others yelling at each other to shut up. I tense up when Eric stands behind me and wraps his arms around me.</p><p>"They're all hiding. They can't see us." He says.</p><p>I turn to face him, and I smile. "You're so different when you're with me."</p><p>"What do you mean?"</p><p>"You yell and scream at the others, and you get in their faces. With me, all you do is speak softly and look at me with passion in your eyes."</p><p>"I don't want you to be afraid of me."</p><p>I reach up and lay my hands on his neck. He smiles as he leans down, and his lips brush against mine. I close my eyes as I stand on the tips of my toes. I wrap my arms around his neck, and his arms lock around my waist.</p><p>We're startled out of our kissing sessions when we hear shouts. I look over the railings and see lights from flashlights within the trees and a glowing flag moving around.</p><p>"They're coming, and they brought the flag with them." Eric says.</p><p>I whistle to let the others know, and Eric and I crouch down so we're out of sight.</p><p>"Where are they?"</p><p>"I don't know, but their flag is up there."</p><p>"You four, go get the flag. Everyone else needs to spread out."</p><p>Eric lets out a low hiss, and I look at him from where I am to see a dart in his leg. He pulls it free, his jaw set so he doesn't make another sound. I aim my gun in the direction the dart was pointing and fire. I hear a soft thud, and I can see a body laying on the ground underneath a tree from where I hide. I lay flat on my stomach and peek over the opening in the rails where the ladder connects to the platform. Only one of them is climbing.</p><p>I move silently while I reload and take aim. I wait until I have a clear shot of his leg, and I pull the trigger. He isn't too far up the ladder, so the three that wait at the bottom catch him when he falls off of the ladder.</p><p>"Those bastards are hiding!" Someone screams.</p><p>I crawl over to Eric and check the wound the dart left behind in his leg. I grab my bag and quickly bandage his wound.</p><p>"I have to go down." I say.</p><p>"No. Stay up here. Keep them off the flag."</p><p>~</p><p>The game drags on for an hour. The initiate in Four's team who carries the flag makes his way up the ladder and avoids all of my darts. I quickly shove a few darts into my pocket as I scramble to my feet, and the boy smirks as he stands in front of me. Eric groans in pain behind me when he tries to move.</p><p>"What are you going to do, Eli?" The boy chuckles. "You can't run."</p><p>"I won't run." I say.</p><p>He throws a punch at me, and I grab onto his arm. I twist it behind his back when I move behind him, and I kick the back of his knee. He falls down, and I pin him down. I pull the darts out of my pocket and stab his leg with the first one. He screams as I stab his other three limbs, and I rip the flag off of his shirt. I hold it up and whistle, and my teammates cheer down below, everyone stopping their fights.</p><p>~</p><p>"Chocolate cake on me!"</p><p>Dinner the day after the game of Capture the Flag is full of laughter and cheering. Isaiah and Hailey buy everyone chocolate cake after Four and Tris give them the money they are missing. Eric sits at table with me, but he's directly across from me. He pokes at a slice of cake with a fork, and I giggle when he looks at me.</p><p>"You've got frosting on your face." He says.</p><p>"Where?" I frown.</p><p>He reaches across the table and rubs his thumb on my cheek. I blush as he licks the frosting off of his thumb.</p><p>"I got it." He says.</p><p>Isaiah elbows me in the ribs and wiggles his eyebrows as he looks between me and Eric. I smile, and I look at Eric again. He's smirking to himself as he takes a bite of his cake.</p><p>~</p><p>The Pit is loud, and music echoes from the tattoo parlor. Many of the adults are holding beer bottles or cans and dance to the music. I stand with Isaiah and Hailey, and we watch the chaos from the side. I smile when Eric walks up to me, a beer bottle in one hand and a soda can in the other. He holds the soda can out to me.</p><p>"You're no fun." I tease as I take the soda can.</p><p>"I'm already drunk off my ass. I don't need you that way too." His voice doesn't falter, but I can smell the alcohol in his breath.</p><p>Isaiah wanders off to go and dance with another initiate, and Hailey slips away to go look around the tattoo parlor. Eric takes my hand, and we head to his room. The music from the tattoo parlor is loud enough to follow us down the halls, and it is hardly muffled when he closes his bedroom door. He locks it before turning to me. I take a sip of the soda as he gulps down the last of his beer.</p><p>"I didn't know you drank." I say as he stands in front of me.</p><p>"Only when there's a party. I don't particularly enjoy drinking." He replies, pulling me close. "It makes me lose my composure."</p><p>"Like how you are right now?"</p><p>"Yep."</p><p>His eyes are clouded, but he manages to give me the same loving stare he usually does.</p><p>"How old are you, anyway?" I ask.</p><p>"Nineteen." He answers as he shrugs off his jacket.</p><p>"You don't look nineteen. You look older."</p><p>"A lot of guys do."</p><p>He drapes his jacket over a chair, and I walk up to him. He turns to face me and smiles as I run my hands up his chest, moving his shirt up an inch without meaning to.</p><p>"Are you trying to get in my pants like you said that nurse was doing?" He asks.</p><p>"Not necessarily. Technically, I'm not an adult yet. Not until I'm done with training." I remind him.</p><p>"I won't tell anyone if you don't."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Dirty</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <b>Elizabeth</b>
  </em>
  <br/>
  <em>
    <b>Sex warning</b>
  </em>
</p><p>Eric's eyes focus entirely on me, the alcohol seeming to dissappear from his system as he stares at me. I take a deep breath as I push his shirt up slowly. He tilts his head slightly and hums when I trace his muscles. He pulls his shirt off and lifts me up off of my feet.</p><p>His lips attack my neck for a few seconds before he bites my lower lip. I gasp, and he takes the brief second to slide his tongue inside my mouth. I wrap my arms around his neck and take in the taste of the alcohol on his tongue. He moves forward, and we fall onto his bed. His hand goes to my side, and he pulls at my shirt. I am suddenly happy that I wear a tank top under my shirt as I pull the first layer off. He growls in frustration and tries to pull my tank top off, but I grab his hands.</p><p>"Relax. Take it slow." I plead.</p><p>He nods, and he touches my neck. His face scrunches in confusion as his fingers brush over the bandage on the back of my neck.</p><p>"My tattoo." I remind him.</p><p>"Let me see. I didn't get to when you got it." He whispers.</p><p>He lets me sit up, and I turn so he can see the back of my neck. I flinch as he peels away the bandage.</p><p>"Eli." His breath catches in his throat as he runs his finger over the lettering.</p><p>        </p><p>I face him again, and he holds onto my wrists as he pins me down. He makes me tilt my head up, and he presses his lips to my neck. I whimper when he bites my skin.</p><p>"Eric!" I whine.</p><p>He sits up, and I watch him as he unbuckles his belt. He slides it out of the loops and tosses it to the floor before he starts kissing me again. A wave of nervousness washes over me when he tries to pull my tank top up again.</p><p>"I can't!" I cry out.</p><p>Eric looks down at me with the same love in his eyes, and he brushes my hair behind my ear. I cover my face with my hands.</p><p>"Eli, please." He whispers, moving one of my hands. "We can take it as slow as you want."</p><p>"Then stop trying to pull my shirt off!" I shove his arm away.</p><p>"I'm sorry. I lose it when I'm with you, and I can't help it."</p><p>I lower my hands, and I look at him. He holds his forehead to mine before giving me a long and slow kiss. He lays his hand on my side and slips his fingers under my shirt, but he doesn't move his hand. I wrap my arms around his neck again, and I nibble on his bottom lip. He doesn't hesitate to open his mouth, and I slide my tongue into his mouth the same way he did to me.</p><p>A loud bang makes me jump, and I bite his lip by accident. He covers his mouth and glares at me before he gets up and walks to the door. He opens it slightly and blocks me from view.</p><p>"I'm busy. Have Max deal with it." He growls to whoever is outside.</p><p>He slams the door and locks it again, and he turns to face me. The spot where I bit his lip is busted and bleeding.</p><p>"I'm sorry." I whisper as he hovers over me again.</p><p>"It's not your fault." He mumbles.</p><p>I wipe the blood away, and he kisses me again. I push him away, and he looks at me with concern in his eyes. I smile sheepishly and pull off my tank top. His eyes very slowly wander over my body. He looks at my eyes again, a silent question in his eyes. I reach behind me, and he shifts his weight so he can hold me up as I unclip my bra. He catches my hand before I pull it off.</p><p>"You don't have to if you're uncomfortable." He says.</p><p>"It's only fair that I take it off since you're completely exposed and I'm not." I reply.</p><p>I let the material fall, and I drop it to the floor with my tank top. Eric bites his lip before he looks at me. I smile as I lay back down, and he slowly moves his hand up my torso. He stops right below my breast and decides to wrap his arm around me rather than touch me. He grabs onto my leg and makes me wrap it around his waist, and he kisses me as he pushes his hips against me.</p><p>"Eric." I moan his name as he pauses to take his pants off.</p><p>He watches me take my pants off, and his hands don't leave my skin as his fingers explore my body. One arm locks around me, and I open my mouth in a breathless sigh when his hand touches my breast.</p><p>"You're amazing." He whispers as he looks at me.</p><p>He licks his lips as he removes his boxers, and I look away in embarrassment. I freeze when he hooks his finger around the fabric at my hip. I look at him, and he smiles. I nod once, and he removes my underwear with ease. I hear the piece of clothing hit the floor just as he kisses me. I wrap my legs around his waist, and he stares at me as he pushes his hips forward. I gasp and moan out his name.</p><p>"Does it hurt?" He asks, wiping away a tear from my eye.</p><p>"A little." I croak.</p><p>"You'll get used to it."</p><p>He nuzzles his face in my neck and waits, letting me get used to the new feeling in my lower region. I moan, and he takes the noise as a sign that I was okay. He rocks his hips back and forth. He reaches up and holds onto the headboard of the bed, and his other hand grabs onto mine. I slide my free hand around his neck and tangle my fingers into his hair. He rocks his hips faster, and a low animalistic sound erupts from the back of his throat.</p><p>"Eric..." His name leaves my lips almost silently.</p><p>He rocks his lower body against mine twice as hard as he had been, and he crushes his lips against mine. The music from the tattoo parlor gets softer as the party dies down, and the room is filled with moans and grunting.</p><p>~</p><p>I lay in bed next to Eric, my breathing rough and my body covered in sweat and other body fluids. My hips hurt and my sides are starting to bruise. Eric lays on his stomach, his lower body covered by a clean pair of boxers. I am wearing my underwear.</p><p>"Sorry." Eric whispers when I move and whimper in pain.</p><p>"It's okay." I look at him and smile. "Don't do it so hard next time. I get that you're drunk and fueled by alcohol, but that was a little much."</p><p>"Yeah." He buries his face in his pillow.</p><p>I get to my feet and head to the bathroom. I look at him to see that he hasn't moved.</p><p>"I'm gonna take a shower? Do you want to join me?" I ask.</p><p>"And put you through all of that again? I'm good for now, Love. I'll take one after you."</p><p>My heart skips a beat at what he calls me, and I smile as I walk into the bathroom and close the door behind me.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Ink</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <b>Elizabeth</b>
  </em>
</p><p>I sleep in Eric's room that night. He spends most of his time awake massaging my hips after I complain that they hurt, and he apologizes repeatedly when dark purple bruises show up on my sides. He has me lay against him so we're laying in the same direction, and nearly every part of me touches him in some way. I fall asleep to the feeling of him kissing my neck and wake up to him running his hand up and down my arm.</p><p>"We have to go eat breakfast." He says softly. "You're final ranks for Phase One will be revealed after."</p><p>"I guess you already know my rank?" I mutter.</p><p>"You're ranked first out of the transfers."</p><p>"What about overall?"</p><p>"You're first in that, too. You outrank the Dauntless-Born."</p><p>I smile as I roll over to look at him. Eric is still groggy from sleep, and his blue green eyes look at me with a deep passion. I giggle as I kiss his cheek and get up.</p><p>"Well, we can't lay in bed all day!" I hold my hands out to him as he sits up. "As much as I'd like to do that, we've got things to do."</p><p>He hums and snatches my shirt off of the floor. I frown when he tosses it into his basket of dirty laundry, along with my tank top.</p><p>"Someone will be suspicious if you show up in the cafeteria wearing the same clothes as yesterday." He explains.</p><p>He stands and walks to a small closet. He pulls a shirt off of a hanger and hands it to me. I blush as he stares at me while I put on my bra. I take the shirt from him and pull it on. He grabs the small first aid kit from his nightstand and covers the tattoo on the back of my neck with the largest bandage he has.</p><p>~</p><p>"Where did you go last night? You wandered off with Eric and didn't come back to the dorm."</p><p>I silently eat my pancakes without answering Hailey, and Isaiah makes a noise of pure disgust.</p><p>"You didn't do that with him, did you?" He asks.</p><p>"I know you're gay, but you don't really have to act like a stuck up perfect little girl, Isaiah." Hailey says.</p><p>I finish my food and go to put the dirty dishes in the return bin.</p><p>~</p><p>"I can't believe you beat out the Dauntless-Born! This is so awesome! I'm totally paying for your tattoo! You've earned it!"</p><p>Isaiah practically jumps onto my back as we walk to the Pit. Hailey laughs, and I smile. The Pit is loud and flowing with life as usual, and the music from the tattoo parlor is blasting loudly again. We pass Eric and Four along the way, and I give the two men a shy wave. Eric smirks as he holds up a beer bottle and tips it toward me to let me know he's celebrating and not just drinking.</p><p>~</p><p>"What did you even get? It took that guy six hours to finish whatever it is!"</p><p>"A pair of angel wings. My entire back aches."</p><p>Isaiah, Hailey, and I stand together outside of the tattoo parlor. Isaiah has a beer bottle in his hand and Hailey has a can of a different alcohol. We each look at Howard when he walks up to me.</p><p>"Why don't ya show us your tattoo, Eli? You'll at least let us see that one since you keep the one on your neck covered up, right?" He barks.</p><p>"I'm sore. I'm not moving my muscles just to show you." I reply.</p><p>He grabs onto my arm and does the same move I did to him. I scream out in pain when my back hits the hard cement floor, and I struggle to get up. Once I do, he shoves me back down to the floor.</p><p>"What's so damn special about you, huh?" Howard yells. "You're nothing but a weak little girl!"</p><p>"I don't beat up people for no reason! That's what's different." I snap as I stand up again. "I don't go around here acting all tough and unbreakable. I don't bully anyone else into doing what I want. You're a manipulative coward! The only reason you ranked third at the start is because you made the others fear you! You're nothing, Howard, and you're pissed off that a little girl kicked your ass with one move!"</p><p>He tackles me to the ground, and he starts choking me. Isaiah and Hailey struggle to get him off, but they don't have the strength to pry his weight off of me. I knee him in the side, but it only makes him squeeze my throat tighter.</p><p>"Eric!" I scream when I get enough air in my throat.</p><p>I claw at Howard's hands until he's suddenly gone. I suck in air and start coughing as I roll over.</p><p>"Eli?" Eric's soft voice makes everyone else around us go quiet.</p><p>I struggle to breathe, and I hear someone tell others to take Howard to the infirmary. I look up enough to see that Howard is unconscious, and Four has bloodied knuckles.</p><p>I cough a few times before my breathing regulates, and I look at Eric. Concern and anger shines in his eyes, but he has a stoic look on his face.</p><p>"What was that about?" He asks.</p><p>"Tattoos." I croak.</p><p>Eric helps me to my feet and leads me away from the crowd. He takes me to his room, and I shrug out of my shirt as soon as the door is closed.</p><p>"Woah. Hey, relax." Eric says as I take off my bra.</p><p>"It hurts!" I start to cry.</p><p>"Let me look. You might be injured."</p><p>I turn so my back is facing him, and he gasps when he sees my new tattoo.</p><p>        </p><p>"You're not bleeding. This is.....beautiful." He says.</p><p>My muscles relax as he runs his hands down my back. I reach up to the back of my neck and peel the bandage away. I pull my hair forward, and Eric wraps his arms around me.</p><p>"You are a masterpiece." He whispers.</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Fear Rising</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>
    <em>Elizabeth</em>
  </b>
</p><p>The initiates gather in the Pit after breakfast. Eric and Four stand in the middle waiting for us, and behind them are several people in all faction colors.</p><p>"You're families are here to see you." Four says. "This may very well be your last time seeing them at all, and it is the last time you'll see them before you become one of us."</p><p>As soon as we are dismissed, Hailey runs to her family. They're dressed in yellows and reds. Isaiah makes his way over to a couple dressed in grey. I look at Eric when he stands in front of me.</p><p>"You're mother couldn't be here. You're two brothers have gotten sick, so she's at home with them. Your father, however, is here." He says.</p><p>I nod when I realize I won't be able to see my mother or my brothers again for a long time or even at all. Eric leads me over to a man dressed in black and white who stands alone beside the Chasm.</p><p>"Dad?" I say, though I hardly recognize the man.</p><p>My father smiles at me and opens his arms. I hesitate before I hug him, his arms enveloping me in his warmth.</p><p>"I knew you would pick Dauntless. Your mother would've done the same thing if I hadn't transferred all those years ago." He says.</p><p>"You were Dauntless?" I gasp.</p><p>"Yes. I transferred so I could be with your mother."</p><p>Eric clears his throat behind me, and my father looks at him. I smile when I notice how nervous Eric is.</p><p>"Dad, this is Eric. He's one of the Dauntless leaders. He's in charge of training us, along with Four." I say. "He's also my boyfriend."</p><p>There's a slight blush on Eric's face when I call him my boyfriend, and my father smiles as he holds his hand out. Eric shakes his hand without hesitating.</p><p>"It's nice to meet you, Eric. I trust that you're looking after my little girl." My father says.</p><p>"Dad!" I playfully punch my father's arm.</p><p>"What? No matter what age you are, you're still my little girl."</p><p>I blush as Eric laughs.</p><p>~</p><p>"Your father is really nice. I wish I could've met the rest of your family."</p><p>"I won't be surprised if my brothers transfer to Dauntless when they're old enough."</p><p>Eric throws back his head as he gulps down a beer. I take it from him when he's almost done, and he watches me as I take a sip. I make a face and hand it back to him.</p><p>"That's disgusting!" I giggle.</p><p>"You didn't seem to mind it the night I was drunk."</p><p>"That was the taste left over on your tongue! It wasn't straight from the bottle!"</p><p>He chuckles and walks to his fridge. He sets his beer down on the table and grabs a can of a different brand from the fridge. He looks at it before he holds it out to me.</p><p>"Try this." He says.</p><p>I take it from him and pull the tab. It makes a satisfying sizzle noise before I take a sip. I smile as I look at Eric.</p><p>"You should drink this instead. It wouldn't taste as bad when I kiss you." I giggle.</p><p>He grabs his own can and downs at least half of it before setting it down next to his beer. I take another sip of mine, and Eric takes it away from me. He sets it down before he lifts me up and carries me to the bed.</p><p>"You're lucky I don't care if you drink."</p><p>~</p><p>"Today, you'll be experiencing the Fear Landscape. You won't be going through your own fears. Eric has volunteered to let each of you experience one of his fears, and the fear you face will change each time someone goes in so you can't learn from their mistakes immediately."</p><p>The group of initiates stand on a floor made of glass. It is an area high above the Pit, accesible by a staircase that's hidden. Four holds out a rather large syringe containing blue liquid to Eric, and Eric takes it. I flinch when he slides the long needle into his neck and injects the liquid into his veins. Eric glances at me when he sees me flinch, and worry clouds his eyes.</p><p>"Something wrong, Eli?" He asks.</p><p>"Uh, no." I swallow hard when everyone looks at me. "Just a fear of needles is all."</p><p>"Then you can go first."</p><p>I hesitate before I walk up to Eric. Four hands him another syringe. It's smaller, and a small label on it has my name on it.</p><p>"Do you guys measure it out or something?" I ask, my eyes on the needle.</p><p>"Depending on your body weight and size, yes. Not everyone reacts the same way." Four answers.</p><p>Eric places his hand on my neck and very quickly slides the needle into my skin. He injects the liquid and pulls the needle out before I have the chance to blink.</p><p>"How many times do you do that for you to be that fast?" I ask.</p><p>Eric shrugs.</p><p>"Now, the fears you face will be altered depending on your gender." Four says. "It's to make sure everyone has a fair chance at successfully getting through the fear."</p><p>Eric opens the door to the large room and walks inside. I follow him in, and he sits in a chair off to the side. The room seems to come to life when Four closes the door, and I am suddenly standing in Eric's bedroom. The real Eric isn't with me, but I can hear his voice as he speaks.</p><p>"You can't see me, but I can see every move you make and hear every word you say." He tells me.</p><p>The bedroom door opens seconds after he stops speaking, and a simulation version of Eric steps in. He smiles, and I notice that his eyes are red. He walks up to me and immediately rips my shirt off. I struggle to push him away, and Simulation Eric manages to take my bra off.</p><p>He pins me down on the bed and smirks as he takes his shirt off. He uses his knee to hold me in place, putting nearly all of his weight onto my stomach. He unzips his pants after removing his belt, and he's soon standing naked in front of me.</p><p>"No!" I scream and thrash as he removes the rest of my clothes.</p><p>I kick him between the legs, and the simulation abruptly ends. The real Eric, his eyes blue green and glazed with concern, stands in front of me with his hands gripping my arms.</p><p>"Eli! Relax! It wasn't real!" He yells.</p><p>I shake my head and get one of my hands free. I land a punch to his jaw, and he backs away from me. I run to the door, yanking it open and running out of the room as tears stream down my face. Four tries to stop me, but I push through the crowd of initiates and run down the hidden staircase without looking back.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Another Fight</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>
    <em>Elizabeth</em>
  </b>
</p><p>"Eli, we need to talk."</p><p>"Don't touch me."</p><p>"Why are you acting like this?!"</p><p>Eric's outburst happens in the middle of lunch, and everyone in the room looks at us.</p><p>"Why am I acting like what?" I growl.</p><p>"Like I've done something wrong!" He replies, his voice full of anger and authority.</p><p>"You did do something wrong!"</p><p>"What did I do?!"</p><p>"You let that stupid simulation version of you rape me, and then you had the balls to tell me it wasn't real!"</p><p>I slam my plate onto the closest table, and it shatters into pieces. I turn away from him and storm away, and everyone who heard me starts whispering.</p><p>~</p><p>"Eric keeps telling us to tell you to go to his room."</p><p>"Eric can go suck it."</p><p>"Eli, please. He's really torn up over this. You didn't see him when he came out of the Fear Landscape. His lip was busted, and he looked like he was going to start crying."</p><p>"He did actually cry. He waited until everything was done and left before us, but I could hear him crying when he walked away."</p><p>I am laying on my bed in the dorms. Hailey and Isaiah are standing on the sides.</p><p>"If I go, will you two shut up and stop talking to him?" I ask.</p><p>"Of course."</p><p>"If that's what you want."</p><p>I get to my feet and walk out of the dorms.</p><p>~</p><p>I stand outside of Eric's room, debating whether I should go in or not. It's when I hear moaning from inside that I kick the door in. A girl lays in Eric's bed as he scrambles to get up. They are both fully clothed, but the smell of alcohol radiates off of Eric.</p><p>"Get out." I snap at the girl.</p><p>"I don't have to listen to you." She replies, her eyes burning with anger.</p><p>"You're laying on <em>my</em> bed, letting <em>my </em>drunk boyfriend make out with you. I can tell you whatever I want to. Now get the hell out, or you'll end up in the infirmary."</p><p>"No!"</p><p>"Infirmary it is then."</p><p>I grab her by her shirt and drag her off of the bed. I pull her by her hair and slam her face into the wall, and she screams in pain when I hear a sharp crack as her nose breaks. I pick her up by the front of her shirt again and easily throw her out into the hall, slamming the door as she hits the floor. I lock the door and look at Eric.</p><p>"I'm letting you off the hook because you're drunk." I state. "Lay on the bed and don't move."</p><p>He does as I say, and I straddle him. His hands go to my waist when I kiss him. A look of disappointment covers his face when I end the kiss.</p><p>"I still love you. It doesn't matter how much I hate what you did. You're still mine, and I want you to be only mine. No more sleeping with other girls when you're upset." I say, playing with the piercings above his eye.</p><p>"I haven't slept with anyone else but you. I've only kissed the others." He breathes.</p><p>I smile and lean down to kiss him again. He moans when I cup my hand at his lower region.</p><p>"Good. This is mine, and no one else's."</p><p>~</p><p>Eric breathes slowly as he wakes up from his drunken slumber. He startles when he realizes I'm laying naked on top of him.</p><p>"Relax." I say, kissing his jaw. "You didn't hurt me."</p><p>He makes a noise and looks around. His body tenses when he sees the dried blood on the wall.</p><p>"Oh. I walked in on you kissing another girl. She has a broken nose now." I smile when he looks at me accusingly.</p><p>"Note taken. Don't piss you off." He mumbles as he relaxes and wraps his arms around me.</p><p>I wrap my arms around his torso and lay my head on his chest. He sighs, and I look at him.</p><p>"It's a little cold. Can I take a shower?" He asks.</p><p>"It's your room, Eric. You don't have to ask." I mutter.</p><p>"I don't really want to move unless it's okay with you. We are naked, and you looked like you were comfortable."</p><p>"It's fine."</p><p>"Did you want to join me?"</p><p>"Love, I've been in that bathroom. There isn't enough room to even <em>sneeze </em>in that shower."</p><p>"We can make it work."</p><p>"Fine. I'm not having sex again."</p><p>"I didn't say I wanted to."</p><p>~</p><p>I skip along beside Eric as we head to the Pit. The tattoo parlor is blasting music once again, and everyone is dancing. Isaiah emerges from the crowd and pulls me with him, and we disappear into the mess of people. The song that is playing abruptly ends, and someone shoves a microphone into my hand. I'm forced up onto a small platform.</p><p>"Sing! It's karaoke!" Isaiah yells over the noise.</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Let Loose</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>
    <em>Elizabeth</em>
  </b>
</p><p>I take a deep breath, and Isaiah smiles as I sing.</p><p>'<em>The clock stopped ticking forever ago.</em><br/><em>How long have I been up? </em><br/><em>I don't know. </em><br/><em>I can't get a grip, but I can't let go.</em><br/><em>There wasn't anything to hold on to though...'</em></p><p>I find Eric's face in the crowd, and he seems pleased. I blush as I look at him.</p><p>
  <em>'Why can't I see? </em>
  <br/>
  <em>Why can't I see? </em>
  <br/>
  <em>All the colors that you see? </em>
  <br/>
  <em>Please, Can I be-</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Please, Can I be colorful and free? What the hell's going on?! </em>
  <br/>
  <em>Can someone tell me, please -- </em>
  <br/>
  <em>Why I'm switching faster than the channels on TV!</em>
  <br/>
  <em>I'm black, then I'm white!</em>
  <br/>
  <em>No!</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Something isn't right!!</em>
  <br/>
  <em>My enemy's invisible! </em>
  <br/>
  <em>I don't know how to fight!</em>
  <br/>
  <em>The trembling fear is more than I can take when I'm up against the echo in the mirror!</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Echo!'</em>
</p><p>I smile as I dance around a bit while I sing. The crowd of people are dancing and laughing, and some are cheering. Eric stands with his arms crossed, but the small movement of his body indicates that he's tapping his foot to the beat.</p><p>
  <em>'I'm gonna burn my house down into an ugly black. </em>
  <br/>
  <em>I'm gonna run away now and never look back. </em>
  <br/>
  <em>I'm gonna burn my house down into an ugly black. </em>
  <br/>
  <em>I'm gonna run away now and never look back. </em>
  <br/>
  <em>I'm gonna burn my house down into an ugly black. </em>
  <br/>
  <em>I'm gonna run away now and never look back. </em>
  <br/>
  <em>I'm gonna burn my house down into an ugly black. I'm gonna run away now and never look back. </em>
  <br/>
  <em>I'm gonna burn my house down and never look back. </em>
  <br/>
  <em>And never look back. </em>
  <br/>
  <em>And never look back!'</em>
</p><p>I step off if the platform and make my way to Eric. He raises an eyebrow as I play with the strings on his hoodie.</p><p>
  <em>'What the hell's going on?! </em>
  <br/>
  <em>Can someone tell me please--</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Why I'm switching faster than the channels on TV!</em>
  <br/>
  <em>I' black, then I'm white!</em>
  <br/>
  <em>No!</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Something isn't right! </em>
  <br/>
  <em>My enemy's invisible. </em>
  <br/>
  <em>I don't know how to fight!'</em>
</p><p>Eric's hands go to my waist when I turn and rock my body against his. He smirks when I look up at him, and he moves his body the same way I do.</p><p>
  <em>'What the hell's going on?! </em>
  <br/>
  <em>Can someone tell me please--</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Why I'm switching faster than the channels on TV!</em>
  <br/>
  <em>I'm black, then I'm white!</em>
  <br/>
  <em>No!</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Something isn't right!</em>
  <br/>
  <em>My enemy's invisible. </em>
  <br/>
  <em>I don't know how to fight!</em>
  <br/>
  <em>The trembling fear is more than I can take when I'm up against the echo in the mirror!</em>
  <br/>
  <em>The trembling fear is more than I can take when I'm up against the echo in the mirror!'</em>
</p><p>I'm left breathless as the song finishes. I pass the microphone to the next person who wants to sing, and the song changes. Eric keeps his hands on my waist, and he kisses my neck as I continue to dance against him.</p><p>~</p><p>"Girl, you know how to work that body! I saw you grinding against Eric!"</p><p>"Isaiah! Keep your voice down!"</p><p>"Your voice is really pretty. Why didn't you tell us you can sing?"</p><p>"It wasn't really something I did all the time. I used to sing to my brothers to get them to sleep."</p><p>I poke at my food with my fork, and I look over my shoulder at Eric. He isn't looking at me, but he holds little to no emotion on his face as he listens to Max, another Dauntless, speak. Eric suddenly gets up from his seat, stabs a knife into the wooden surface of the table, and heads for the door of the cafeteria. He roughly taps my arm as he walks by, and I get up to follow him. I look over my shoulder at the table of leaders to see them all watching me. I hurry after Eric.</p><p>"Max saw us." Eric states when we're out in the hallway.</p><p>"What?" I question.</p><p>"When we were dancing last night. He saw it. He saw everything. I was so focused on you that I didn't check to see who was watching, and now I've got Max breathing down my neck about me being with you the way I am." Eric punches the wall out of pure anger, and he lays his hand flat against it after. "I knew this was a mistake."</p><p>"A mistake? What do you mean?" My heart starts to race. "Are you saying we're a mistake?"</p><p>"I should never have gotten involved with you."</p><p>He keeps his back to me, but his voice cracks as he speaks. His fingers slowly curl into a fist. I fight back the tears, and I wipe away the few that roll down my cheeks.</p><p>"I-I get it. It's my fault. I started everything. I'm sorry." I break down into a sobbing mess, and I fall to my knees. "Everything is my fault."</p><p>Eric leaves in silence, and my sobbing gets louder.</p><p>Isaiah carries me to the dorms when he finds me hiding down one of the hallways. He doesn't ask me any questions. He simply lays me down on my bed, tucks me in under the covers, and sits on his bed while he stares at me.</p><p>~</p><p>"What's the matter, Eli? Are you all sad and sobbing because you lost your boyfriend?"</p><p>"Shut up, Howard."</p><p>"Does the little girl not want to answer? Are you gonna start crying?"</p><p>Chairs line the hallway we all wait in while we take turns doing fear simulations in order to prepare ourselves for our Fear Landscape in two weeks. Howard stands in front of me, taunting me.</p><p>Just as the door to the room that leads into the room where we go through the simulations open, I jump from my seat and tackle Howard to the ground. I scream in anger and hit Howard in the face repeatedly. I stand up once his eye is swollen shut and his lip is busted, and I look over my shoulder when someone clears their throat. Eric stands in the doorway, a clipboard in his hand and Four standing behind him.</p><p>"Wanna explain yourself?" Eric asks, motioning to the groaning mess of Howard.</p><p>"Shut up." I snap.</p><p>I stomp on the area between Howard's legs, and I walk away from them. I end up in the Pit, and I am suddenly beside the Chasm. I climb over the railings and very carefully walk along the edge until I'm on the other side of the Chasm, the end of it being at one side of the Pit. I sit down when someone realizes I'm there, and a crowd gathers around. Isaiah and Hailey are the first of the initiates to make their way to the front of the crowd, and the music from the tattoo parlor cuts off.</p><p>"You can't be serious, Eli!" Hailey yells over the rushing water below me.</p><p>"Are you really going to kill yourself over a guy?" Isaiah's voice is laced in anger. "This is ridiculous!"</p><p>"Ms. Montoya, please." Max stands at a place where no one else does. "If you do this, you'll be wasting your talents. You'll upset Eric."</p><p>"This is coming from the one who made us break up." I scoff as I stand up. "You've got some nerve talking to me about what Eric would think."</p><p>"The matter can be resolved if you would just come back over here."</p><p>"I'm not listening to a word you say!"</p><p>"ELIZABETH MAIBLE MONTOYA!"</p><p>His voice echoes off of the Pit walls, and everyone falls silent. A hole in the crowd forms, and at the other side stands Eric. He has the angriest look on his face that I had ever seen from him, and his glare could freeze the fire that burns in the fireplace at the side of the Pit.</p><p>"Get your ass back over this fence before I make you!" He isn't as loud this time, but the anger in his voice makes me comply.</p><p>He stalks up to me when I get over the fence, and he grabs onto my shirt. I claw at his arm when he pushes me backwards, his hold on me being the only thing keeping me from falling down into the Chasm.</p><p>"You wanna die so badly?" He growls. "You wanna leave me here to mourn over you and never get to be with you again? Is that what you wanna do?"</p><p>"No!"</p><p>I cry out in fear as he holds me directly over the water, his grip slipping ever so slightly.</p><p>"Then why the hell are you trying to do it?!" Pain shines in his eyes as he yells at me.</p><p>"Because I can't have you!"</p><p>He pulls me back over the railings, and I tremble when I stand on flat ground. Eric pulls me flush against his body, and I bury my face in his chest as I cry.</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Fear Landscape And New Jobs</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Elizabeth</p><p>"You will be aware that it is a simulation, so you can manipulate the situation if you are forced to. The only way to move on to the next fear is to calm yourself down and face the fear without getting emotional. All of the leaders will be watching, and they'll be the only ones who can see what you see. Everyone else will only see how you move. The order will be by how you're currently ranked, starting with last place."</p><p>Four injects the blue liquid into a girl's neck and sends her into the Fear Landscape room. Eric stands beside me, his eyes on the screen that hangs on the side of the building as it turns on. I move closer to him and lay my head against his arm. He doesn't say anything.</p><p>"I'm going to fail." I mutter.</p><p>"No, you're not. I've seen your simulations. You'll be fine." Eric watches the girl on the screen.</p><p>"What if I don't come out on top? What if I'm stuck doing a job that everyone hates?"</p><p>"I'll still love you no matter what happens."</p><p>I look up at Eric, and he surprises me when he kisses my forehead. He glances over at the other leaders before he leans down and gently presses his lips against mine.</p><p>"You'll be fine."</p><p>~</p><p>I take a deep breath when it finally gets to my turn. I walk up to Four, and he silently injects the blue liquid into my neck. I walk inside the Fear Landscape room and close the door behind myself. The room comes to life when I stand in the middle.</p><p>I'm suddenly standing in front of the Chasm. I walk up to the rails, and I scream as someone shoves me over. The fall is a lot longer than it should be, and I calm myself down. The scenery changes before I smash into the rocks of the Chasm. Instead, I land in a pool of water.</p><p>"Where have you been? I've been looking everywhere for you." Eric's voice says.</p><p>I look up, and Eric's eyes are red. The scene around me switches to his bedroom, and I back away as Eric steps toward me. He reaches his arm out, and I very quickly throw him over my shoulders. He grunts as he hits the floor.</p><p>"Not again." I growl.</p><p>The scene changes once more before he hits the floor, and I'm standing in the pit. Everyone stands around me in a loose circle, and I have to focus hard to hear over their screaming and yelling. My eyes finally land on what's laying on the floor in front of me, and my heart drops to my stomach.</p><p>"He died because of you!"</p><p>"If you were really as strong as we all thought, you wouldn't have needed to be protected!"</p><p>"You're the reason why Eric is dead!"</p><p>I fall to my knees, and I can feel the tears rolling down my cheeks as I looked at the bloodied body in front of me. I hide my face with my hands as I try to calm down, the Dauntless members shouting and hollering around me making it difficult.</p><p>"I'll still love you no matter what."</p><p>Eric's voice fills my head, and I take a deep breath. The sudden silence that envelopes me immediately has my heart racing, and I flinch when someone touches my shoulder. I look up at see Eric, his eyes a brilliant blue green and a smile on his face.</p><p>"Well done, Eli." He whispers. "You've gone through them all."</p><p>"That was it?" I am confused.</p><p>"The Fear Landscape is designed to take you through your fears. You can have as little as one fear to as many as a hundred fears." He chuckles as he helps me to my feet. "You're one of the few that have under ten."</p><p>As I stand, the room returns to the empty room it had been before the exam started. I follow Eric as he walks out of the room, and everyone that is gathered around the door screams and cheers as I step outside.</p><p>"Eli!" Isaiah and Hailey scream together, hugging me as soon as I'm in arm's reach.</p><p>Isaiah frantically wipes my tears away as I laugh, and Hailey excitedly jumps in place.</p><p>"Girl, what the hell happened in there? Why are you crying?" Isaiah asks.</p><p>"So many things happened." I force a smile. "I'll be alright."</p><p>"Well, all of the leaders are talking about our results!" Hailey laughs. "I hope we all did the best!"</p><p>"You know, I overheard Eric and Max saying something about choosing the best to be a new leader." Isaiah gives a brilliant smile as he looks at me.</p><p>"Dauntless already has three leaders." I raise an eyebrow. "Why would they choose a new one?"</p><p>"Max is planning on stepping down soon." Hailey mutters. "Maybe he's done with having to deal with everyone."</p><p>I shrug and run my hand through my hair. "Who knows? I don't think they'd choose someone from our group. There have been so many other trainees that were just as great and maybe even better than us."</p><p>"I bet if they did pick a new leader, you'd be in the running." Isaiah laughs, clapping his hand against my back. "Your boyfriend is one of the leaders, after all!"</p><p>"Eric wouldn't pick me just because of that." I roll my eyes. "I've told him before that his decisions can't be because of our relationship."</p><p>"Let's go to the training room while they decide!" Hailey begs, grabbing my arm and pulling me toward the stairs.</p><p>"Alright!"</p><p>~</p><p>Isaiah has music blasting from an old radio he found days before, and Hailey dances around the training room mindlessly. I twirl a knife in my hand as I focus on the target boards, Isaiah standing beside me with a gun. I hum along to the song that comes on, and Isaiah laughs as I let the knife fly across the room. It stabs into the board at the head of the target.</p><p>Hailey takes my hands and makes me dance with her, and I laugh as she climbs onto the knife table. I follow after her, and we both mirror each other's movements. Isaiah sets his gun down, and we make room as he runs toward the table. Hailey and I both do back flips off of the table as he jumps and dives over it. The table topples over from the force of us jumping backward off of it, and I giggle as we land on our feet. Isaiah rolls to his feet after doing a barrel roll. Clapping erupts over the song, and all three of us are startled as we look at the door.</p><p>Eric and Four stand side by side, and it is Eric who is clapping. I look away as he walks up to us, Isaiah and Hailey almost immediately standing side by side like he always made us stand when we are being scolded. </p><p>"What exactly are you three doing?" Eric asks.</p><p>"We were just having fun while we waited for you and the other leaders to discuss our exam results." Hailey explains.</p><p>"And you think ruining the display of knives was a good idea?"</p><p>"No, sir."</p><p>Eric scoffs and steps around them so he can stand with me. I focus on the floor, afraid to look up at him.</p><p>"I expected more from you." He states.</p><p>"I know." I reply.</p><p>"What I didn't expect was to see you dancing like that." Eric's statement surprises me enough that I look at him. "I've never seen you two even do that together once before now."</p><p>"I just..." My eyes flick to Hailey, and she gives me a supportive smile as she gives me a thumbs up. "I did whatever she did."</p><p>He hums, and I'm suddenly horrified as he turns his back on me and walks away. Four follows him out of the room, giving us all a worried glance before leaving. I sigh as I put the table back on its four legs, and Hailey and Isaiah start picking up the knives.</p><p>~</p><p>We return to the Pit after fixing everything in the training room to find that there was now a small stage in the middle of it with a large screen set up on it. Several chairs were set up in front of the stage, and many of the Dauntless members were filling whatever spaces within the Pit that they could.</p><p>"We want all trainees for this year to take their seats!" Max yells loud enough to be heard over everyone.</p><p>Hailey and Isaiah both hold onto my shirt as I push my way through the crowd, and we sit together when we reach the chairs. Eric and Max stand on the stage together, and Eric refuses to look directly at me. Once all of the trainees are sitting in the chairs, Max clears his throat. The large screen behind him flickers to life, displaying several job titles. I realize that Eric holds a clipboard in his hand as he holds it up.</p><p>"Eric will be reading out a few names of the trainees who failed. If your name is called, you'll have ten minutes to gather your belongings and leave the compound." Max states.</p><p>Eric clears his throat and begins reading off a few names, and each trainee stands and heads toward the initiate dorms. I take a deep breath as Eric lowers the clip board. Isaiah and Hailey both still sit beside me.</p><p>"Those of you remaining have passed." Max declares.</p><p>Isaiah is one of the few to holler and throw their fists in the air. Hailey giggles and squirms in her chair. I smile to myself.</p><p>"Now, you all will be choosing your new jobs. It is required of you to have one." Max says, indicating to the screen behind him. "These are the available jobs. We'll give you a few minutes to debate over it."</p><p>Isaiah and Hailey both whisper to each other. My eyes scan over the job titles, and I tilt my head as Eric elbows Max and says something to him. Once everyone settles down, Max claps his hands together once to get everyone's attention.</p><p>"Before we let you all choose your jobs, we'd like to have three of you come up here." He tells us.</p><p>"Eli, Howard, and Liam." Eric calls.</p><p>I hesitate before I get to my feet, and I make my way to the stage. Howard purposefully trips Liam as he's going up the small staircase, and his snickering catches Eric's attention.</p><p>"You know what? Howard, go sit back down." He growls.</p><p>"What? Why?" Howard tilts his head as I step around him.</p><p>"Because I said so. Go sit down. Paulie, come take his place."</p><p>Howard curses under his breath as he heads back to his seat, and Paulie hurries up onto the stage. The three of us stand in a line, our hands behind our backs. I realize that I am the only girl and the only transfer initiate standing on stage.</p><p>"These three are the best of this year." Max motions toward us. "With how well they did, we think that one of them should be our next leader in training."</p><p>I could feel my cheeks burn as I blush, Isaiah and Hailey being the loudest of the Dauntless members to cheer. I smile, and the three of us bow to everyone.</p><p>"We're going to leave the decisions up to all of you!" Max motions to the members gathered around us. "Eric will give some information about the three, and you all will decide who your future leader will be."</p><p>Eric flips a few pages on his clipboard and stands behind Paulie. "This initiate, who's full name is Paulie Adam Redford, placed fourth highest in gun training, third highest in combat training, and fifth highest in knife throwing. He is Dauntless Born."</p><p>There are a handful of people who cheer for him, and Paulie waves as he smiles. Eric flips another page as he steps behind Liam.</p><p>"This initiate, who's full name is Liam Frederick Edwards, placed second highest in gun training, fourth highest in combat training, and second highest in knife throwing. He is Dauntless Born." He says.</p><p>Nearly a third of the members erupt into cheers. Liam holds his hand up and bows his head slightly. Eric doesn't flip a page as he stands behind me.</p><p>"This initiate, who's full name is Elizabeth Maible Montoya, placed first highest in gun training, first highest in combat training, and first highest in knife throwing. She is a Transfer from Candor."</p><p>The entire crowd erupts into cheering and screaming. I smile and bow my head respectfully.</p><p>"The only reason she ranked first is because she's banging one of the leaders!" Howard scoffs loudly.</p><p>Eric, who has placed his hands on my shoulders, tightens his grip as he glares at Howard. He moves as if he's going to hurt Howard, but Max holds his hand up to stop him.</p><p>"What makes you think that has anything to do with how she ranked?" Max asks.</p><p>"How else can a little Transfer like her rank first in everything?" Howard clicks his tongue as he folds his arms across his chest.</p><p>"I'd like you to understand that Eric was not monitoring Ms. Montoya's progression during any of the training." Max bows his head as he walks toward the corner of the stage, standing directly behind Four, who stands with his hands behind his back as he faces the initiates. "Four took over her scoring once we realized that there was something going on between them. His relationship with her had nothing to do with her scoring."</p><p>"Prove it!"</p><p>His outburst causes several of the other initiates to follow suit. I take a step back in fear as they all turn their hateful glares on me, and Eric keeps me in place. I look up at him, and he silently holds a knife up. I take it without hesitation.</p><p>"Alright, Howard. You want proof?" Eric steps away from me. "Eli, you see that Dauntless emblem engraved on the wall over there?"</p><p>I search the Pit walls until I spot what he's talking about and nod, slipping into a throwing stance with ease. I pull my arm back, all eyes instantly on me. As I jerk my arm forward to throw the knife, Eric's sudden yell causes me to flinch. The knife, however, doesn't falter as I toss it, and it digs itself into the wall directly in the middle of the emblem. Tris, who holds a gun, steps up onto the stage and hands the gun to me. I hesitantly take it, making sure its loaded. Eric moves so he's standing at the edge of the platform with Max, and he holds his arms out. I look at him and realize why.</p><p>"I'm not shooting you." I growl.</p><p>"I'll be fine, Eli." He reassures me. "Just do it."</p><p>"Where?"</p><p>"Pretend I'm an enemy. How would you make it impossible for me to reach you if I charged at you with a knife or a dagger?"</p><p>He suddenly runs toward me, and I panic. I steady my stance just in time to shoot him in both of his upper legs. He cries out in pain and falls to the ground, and he looks up at me just as I step up to him and hold the butt of the gun up.</p><p>"Eli!" Max calls.</p><p>I look at him as I lower the gun, and I hand it to Tris when she offers to take it away. Eric groans as I help him stand, and I help him over to a chair that sits on the stage.</p><p>"Sorry." I panic at his pained expression.</p><p>"It's alright." He growls through his teeth.</p><p>I shake my head and pull my pocket knife out of my pocket. Eric eyes me as I use the knife to cut holes where the bullets already did. He takes a deep breath when he realizes what I am going to do.</p><p>"You're going to do that here?" He questions.</p><p>"You want the bullets out, don't you?" I ask.</p><p>"Well, yes, but this isn't a very sterile place."</p><p>"And you think the infirmary is?"</p><p>He rolls his eyes, and I can see his jaw tighten as I hold the tip of the knife to his wound. He groans and balls his hand into a fist as I dig into his wound, and he lets out a sigh of relief when I pull the bullet out. I move to his other leg, and he grabs my wrists just before I can attempt to take the second bullet out.</p><p>"I know it hurts, Eric, but I have to do it." I whisper, trying to comfort him as I free my hands. "The pain will be over in another minute."</p><p>"I think that one went deeper into my skin." He hisses.</p><p>"Count to three."</p><p>He takes a deep breath and starts counting, and I start digging into his skin before he reaches three. He lets out a small cry of pain just as I manage to pull the bullet out. I walk over to the small trash can on the stage and toss the bullets inside. I am slightly startled as everyone cheers and starts clapping. Max hands me a towel as I join Paulie and Liam, and I use it to rid my skin of Eric's blood.</p><p>"Does that satisfy you, Howard?" Max asks, motioning toward the boy.</p><p>Howard remains silent, only mumbling under his breath. I glance back at Eric to see that one of the multiple infirmary workers is bandaging his wounds. I tilt my head when Eric struggles to stand, and he holds his hand up to reassure me that he is fine.</p><p>"Now that Eli has proven her skills, I'd like to tell you all why these three are up here." Max says. "There has been a rumor going around that I'm going to step down from being leader. That is true, but I'd never step down without finding you another leader."</p><p>The crowd of people erupts into a mixture of cheers and outrage. Max holds his hand up, and the noise evaporates. I put my hands behind my back much like the two boys do.</p><p>"One of these three children here will be your next leader. They won't outright take my place. That's for one of our experienced leaders. They will be trained and will work as a leader under one of the others, and I will step down once they are capable of leading all of you on their own without help." Max continues. "We, of course, will not be making the choice. You know what their standings in training were, and you have witnessed one of them demonstrate their skills. It is your choice who your new leader will be."</p><p>I notice several booths at the other end of the Pit, and Max motions to them seconds after I realize they are there.</p><p>"We ask that you line up at the booths against the wall to submit your choices of who you want as your new leader." He says.</p><p>The members begin to form lines at the booths, and I turn my attention to Eric. He is struggling to stay standing, and his eyes are full of pain. I hesitate before I walk over to him, and he looks at me when I place my hand on his arm.</p><p>"If it's too much to stand, you can sit." I whisper.</p><p>"I'm alright, Eli." He gives a small smile. "Don't worry so much over me."</p><p>"You're shaking."</p><p>He rolls his eyes and pulls me into a tight hug. "I know, Eli."</p><p>I take a deep breath, the smell of his cologne relaxing me. I hook my leg around his ankle, and he lets out a small cry of surprise as I pull his leg out from under him. I push hard on his chest, and he falls back into the chair.</p><p>"I'd prefer you sit down." I smile innocently.</p><p>He stares up at me, and his eyes fill with hostility. "What do you think you're doing?"</p><p>I feel eyes on me, and my nerves get the best of me as I look over my shoulder. Several of the older members have their eyes on me, a few snickering and others mumbling to each other. I panic and hide my face behind my hands. Eric sighs loudly, and he tugs on my arm to pull me forward. His arms wrap around my waist, and I resist when he tries to make me sit in his lap.</p><p>"Look at me." He whispers.</p><p>I shake my head. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you look weak."</p><p>"Eli, look at me."</p><p>I peek at him through my fingers, and he has a smile on his face. I slowly lower my hands, and he chuckles.</p><p>"You're such a nervous wreck." He whispers. "I know you're just trying to make sure I'm okay."</p><p>"You looked really scary when you were mad." I mutter.</p><p>"I know. I'm sorry."</p><p>Someone screams Eric's name, and he looks to whoever it is. I blush as he pulls me into his lap, his eyes filling with anger as he looks at whoever calls his name. I look over my shoulder to see who was angering him, and I'm not surprised when I see a girl around his age making sexual gestures toward him.</p><p>"Do girls always do that?" I ask, looking at Eric. "Even if I'm with you?"</p><p>"Most of the time, yes." He replies, his eyes on the girl as he speaks.</p><p>I find myself growing jealous, and Eric looks at me when he hears me huff in anger. I place my hands on his neck, and he sits up just enough to kiss me. I jump when I hear Max clear his throat, and Eric shoots him a harsh glare.</p><p>"Keep it behind closed doors, Eric." Max orders.</p><p>I immediately stand up and join the two boys, causing Eric to chuckle. Liam playfully elbows me in the side and chuckles as he points to his face.</p><p>"You've got a little blood on your face." He says.</p><p>I quickly use my sleeve to wipe the blood away. "I think I bit Eric's lip when Max scared me."</p><p>Liam laughs, and Paulie quietly chuckles.</p>
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<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Getting Started</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <b>Elizabeth</b>
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</p><p>Waking up in Eric's small apartment room is a stark contrast to waking up in the initiate dorms. His arms are locked around me, and a very small amount of light floods in from the crack underneath the doorway leading to the hall. I have to carefully move his arm, and he growls in his sleep as I sit up. I stretch, my back and shoulders popping just as I stand up.</p><p>"Where do you think you're going?"</p><p>His voice is soft and groggy, and he is gentle when he grabs my wrist. I look at him and smile as I brush his hand away.</p><p>"You know I start my leader training today." I mutter. "I have to get dressed."</p><p>"I'm the one training you, and there's nothing to do today."</p><p>"We can't stay in bed all day, Eric. As much as I'd like to, I actually want to learn everything I can about being a leader."</p><p>"Training you brats took a lot out of me. Can't we just forget about training for a day?"</p><p>"You can stay in bed all day if you want to. I'll go ask Max for training."</p><p>He takes a deep breath before he gets out of bed, and I giggle as he snatches a clean shirt from the nightstand. I lean into him when he wraps his arms around me, and he gently presses his lips to my cheek.</p><p>"Let's go, Shortie. We've got to get in the cafeteria before all the hooligans wake up." He mutters.</p><p>I giggle, and we both get ready for the day. He decides to wear a more casual outfit instead of his usual get up, wearing black jeans and pulled on a black t-shirt. I skip along beside him as we head to the cafeteria, Eric's hand keeping a tight grip on my own so I'd stay beside him. He looks at me when I stop in the doorway.</p><p>"Something wrong?" He asks, raising an eyebrow.</p><p>"I'm used to sitting at the initiate's tables. I don't know anyone here." I whisper.</p><p>"That may be true, but you're with me. I'll make sure no one messes with you."</p><p>He pulls me forward, and we both stand in line to get breakfast. I argue with him for a few minutes after he pays for our food, and he leads me to a table of people I hardly recognize. I instantly recognize Max, Four, and Tris.</p><p>"Good morning, Eli." Max has a soft smile on his face.</p><p>"Good morning." I return the greeting as I sit down.</p><p>Eric places our trays down on the table, and I silently eat while I listen to him and Max speak.</p><p>"There seems to be a problem regarding medical care." Max says. "The nurses aren't able to properly remove bullets from wounds without injuring people further."</p><p>"We'll have to find someone who's able to remove bullets correctly then." Eric replies, taking a bite of his french toast.</p><p>"I can do it." I mutter.</p><p>Both men look at me, and I can see Four hold back a chuckle as I lower my head. Max raises an eyebrow as I continue to eat as if I hadn't said a thing.</p><p>"You think you can teach the nurses how to remove bullets?" He asks.</p><p>"I removed the bullets from Eric's legs just fine." I shrug, taking a bite of my pancakes. "I don't have to be the one to do it. I'm sure there's someone older with more experience."</p><p>The two men quickly change the subject, almost forgetting entirely that I spoke. I look at Tris when she snickers, and Four looks at her as well.</p><p>"You thought they were going to agree with you, didn't you?" She laughs.</p><p>"I'm sorry?" I raise an eyebrow. "I have no idea what you're talking about."</p><p>"You tried to tell them to let you teach the nurses how to remove bullets."</p><p>"No, Tris, I suggested that I could do it. I know there's always someone who can do something better than me."</p><p>"That's not very leader-like, you know?"</p><p>"I have a feeling that you're jealous because you were the best in your year, but they chose to overlook you and pick someone from my year instead."</p><p>She lets out a huff of anger, and I tilt my head. I can feel Eric and Max both watching me.</p><p>"As if I'm jealous over that." Tris scoffs.</p><p>"Why else would you behave in a hostile way? Need I remind you, Tris, I was Candor before I transferred. I can read your body language better than anyone else at this table." I set my fork down once I am done eating, and I cross my arms on the table as I look at her. "There's honestly nothing for you to be jealous of. I'm only a leader in training. My suggestions and words mean nothing as of right now."</p><p>Eric wraps his arm around me and runs his hand up and down my arm, a silent way of telling me to calm down. I get to my feet just as Max finishes eating.</p><p>"Eric says the first thing I have to do is check the security systems." I mutter. "I'll go and do that."</p><p>"Do you know where to go?" Eric asks.</p><p>"I'm sure I can find my way." I reply, picking up my tray. "You and Max have things to discuss. Wasting time on guiding me to the security room will only set you back on time, and I'd like to go to bed at a decent hour."</p><p>Max chuckles as I turn away from them, and I return my dirty dishes and tray to the food line. I take a minute to make sure my clothes aren't dirty, and I take my time to head to the security room. I occasionally stop to ask older Dauntless members if they knew where the room was, and an older man happily guides me to it. I nod to him briefly and hand him a small amount of the cash I have on me as gratitude, and I slip inside the room. Isaiah sits in one of the chairs, his eyes glued to the screens as an older woman describes what every camera points at and where they're located.</p><p>"Good morning." I say.</p><p>"Mornin', Eli!" Isaiah smiles as he turns to look at me. "What brings you here?"</p><p>"Eric wants me to check on the security systems." I reply.</p><p>"Have a seat, Dear. Eric told me yesterday night that the new leader in training needed to be briefed on our camera systems. I'll be happy to teach you and Isaiah here at the same time."</p><p>She grabs a spare chair and places it between her and Isaiah. I tilt my head as I look at the many screens in front of me.</p><p>"Can either of you tell me which one is pointed at the Chasm?" The woman asks. "Remember. There isn't any sound, and none of the cameras are in color."</p><p>Isaiah looks to me after staring at the screens, and I focus on one of the screens. I point to it, and the woman nods.</p><p>"And can you tell me where the Pit is?" She asks.</p><p>Isaiah points to the camera in seconds. "There."</p><p>I look at a camera that points outside in a location I'm not familiar with, noticing movement. "Are we expecting visitors this morning?"</p><p>"No clue. I wasn't told we were." The woman mutters, looking at the camera I pointed to. "You discovered it. You inform Max."</p><p>She points to a few phones on the wall, and I cautiously walk toward them. One had MAX written in black ink while the other had ERIC. I hesitate before I pick up the phone with Max's name on it, and it immediately starts to ring.</p><p>"Hello?" Eric's voice fills my ears.</p><p>"I thought I called Max." I mutter, my eyebrows pulling together.</p><p>"You did. I'm in his office." Eric explains. "What do you need, Eli?"</p><p>"I'm in the security room, and there's movement on one of the cameras pointing outside."</p><p>"Which camera?"</p><p>I look back at the wall of screens, and the woman holds her fingers up. I nod to her as a thank you.</p><p>"Camera six." I answer.</p><p>"So the lower entrance for other factions. It must be our delivery from Erudite. I'll be down to the security room in a minute, and we'll go check it out together."</p><p>"Okay."</p><p>We both hang up at the same time, and I sit back down in the chair to listen to the woman. I focus entirely on learning the security systems. I don't hear the door to the room open or close, and I don't jump when someone lays their hands on my shoulders.</p><p>"Learning?" Eric asks, leaning down to whisper in my ear.</p><p>"Yeah. I'll have to learn the rest later." I reply, getting to my feet and brushing his hands off of my shoulders. </p><p>I bow my head to the woman and wave to Isaiah as Eric leads the way out of the room. I have to speed walk to keep up with him as he strides through the hallways, occasionally jogging down staircases. He abruptly stops, turning and pinning me to the wall. One hand lays flat against the wall while the other holds me in place by my waist.</p><p>"Eric?" I whisper.</p><p>"You've never had to deal with Erudite, have you?" He asks.</p><p>I shake my head. "I didn't talk during school."</p><p>"Erudite is full of smartass, know-it-alls. It's better to keep your mouth shut than to challenge anything they say."</p><p>I nod, but he stays in place. He slowly leans down, and I can hear several people muttering as they pass us. I quickly put my hand on his chest and push him back as gently as possible.</p><p>"Maybe we shouldn't do anything in public while we're supposed to be working." I mumble.</p><p>He huffs. "If you're worried about what they all think, don't."</p><p>I roll my eyes. "We need to go and meet with the Erudite people."</p><p>He growls under his breath, and he leads the way once more. I am surprised when we reach the entrance to the outside world. I hide behind him after we step outside, and he looks back at me. A man clad in Erudite blue approaches us, a clipboard in his hand.</p><p>"Three cases, right?" Eric asks.</p><p>"Jeanine sent six. She wants to speed things up now." The man answers, handing the clipboard to Eric.</p><p>Eric looks over the papers, and I squeak when the Erudite man looks at me. He gives a gentle smile, and I step behind Eric to hide myself from his view.</p><p>"Charles, this is Eli. She's a bit shy around other factions." Eric says without hesitation. "Could you quit looking at her?"</p><p>I peeked around Eric to look at the man as they jump into a conversation. He looks to be around the same age as Eric, and something about him is familiar to me. I tilt my head when he looks at me once more.</p><p>"Jedidiah?" I ask.</p><p>"I go by Jed now." The man replies instinctively.</p><p>Eric looks at me as I stand beside him. "You don't remember me, do you?"</p><p>"You think I could forget my little sister in only four years? What kind of person do you take me for, Elizabeth?"</p><p>I smile and laugh as I launch myself at my older brother. Eric raises an eyebrow when I look at him.</p><p>"Jedidiah is my older brother. He transferred to Erudite four years ago." I explain. "He hasn't tried to see any of my family since."</p><p>"I hardly recognized you, Elizabeth." Jedidiah chuckles. "It didn't help that Eric introduced you as Eli."</p><p>"That's the name she goes by." Eric's voice is harsh and strained, a stark contrast to how he spoke to my father.</p><p>I giggle as I stand beside Eric. "I changed my name so mom and dad won't have to see their innocent little girl whenever I do something violent."</p><p>"I don't see you being violent. You're just a little twig." Jedidiah chuckles.</p><p>"You'd be surprised by what she can do. She ranked first in all of the training, and she's now being trained to be a leader." Eric signs a few of the papers and hands the clipboard to Jedidiah.</p><p>"Oh? You're going to be a leader?"</p><p>Jedidiah looks at me with anger in his eyes. I shrug as Eric steps around him, and I follow him. We both grab the trolleys that the cases of materials sit on, and Eric lets me head inside first. I barely hear him speak, but I know he says something rude to my brother. I hold the door open for him, and he locks it once we're both inside.</p><p>"What's even in these crates?" I ask.</p><p>Eric leads the way to an elevator I didn't know was even in the compound, and he presses one of the many buttons.</p><p>"You'll know soon." He mutters. "It's not important for you to know."</p><p>"But it is for you?" I stand with my arms crossed. "Eric, I'm supposed to take someone's place when they take over Max's. I might not be a leader now, but I will be. Whatever you get to know, I do, too."</p><p>"No, you don't. What's in these crates isn't something that can be known by just anyone."</p><p>I huff just as the elevator stops. It opens, and I realize the elevator leads directly to Max's office. Eric pushes his trolley out of the elevator and looks at me when I don't follow. I use my foot to push the trolley out, and Eric yells my name as I push the elevator button that makes the doors close. He isn't able to stop the doors from closing in time, and I ride the elevator down to the bottom floor in silence.</p>
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<a name="section0014"><h2>14. The Truth</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <b>Elizabeth</b>
  </em>
</p><p>The next morning, an announcement over the intercom system tells everyone to gather in the Pit. I don't find it surprising that Eric isn't in bed when I wake up, and I melt into the crowd of people heading to the Pit after leaving the room we share. I find that everyone is lining up in the Pit, and I get directed toward Eric and Max. They stand together with their arms crossed over their chests, and Eric focuses on me the instant I break away from the others.</p><p>"What's going on?" I ask.</p><p>"Just a precautionary micro-chip implant. It's mandatory for all ordinary Dauntless members." He explains.</p><p>"Why is that?"</p><p>"We've been having trouble with a few people leaving the compound without asking."</p><p>"And you don't suspect me as one of the people leaving?"</p><p>"You're always with me." Eric shrugs. "And leaders aren't required to get one."</p><p>"So you actually consider me a leader now?" I huff. "If I am a leader, why can't I know what's in those cases?"</p><p>"You do." Max motions to the people in line. "It was only the micro-chips."</p><p>"That's bullshit. If it was just a tracking chip, you would've told me." I hiss. "What are the implants really for?"</p><p>Eric glares at me, and I know it's because I won't drop the subject. It takes only one second for him to take a step forward and roughly grab my wrist, and I let out a pained hiss as he drags me away from the Pit. We end up in an empty hallway, and he traps me against the wall by placing his hands at my sides, making it nearly impossible to get away unless I outmatch his speed.</p><p>"Why can't you just let it go?" He growls.</p><p>"Because I want to know what's going on." I reply. "I hate not knowing. Secrets aren't a thing in Candor, and it's different to not know everything that's happening."</p><p>"If you really needed to know, I'd tell you." He sighs. "I'm keeping the truth from you to protect you, Elizabeth."</p><p>I huff, and he moves his hands to my sides. I hesitate before I stand on the tips of my toes to wrap my arms around his neck. Eric's eyes are partially closed, and there's a dark emotion in them that I don't recognize.</p><p>"It's so much easier to not have you know." He whispers. "You'd be so disappointed."</p><p>"Tell me." I plead.</p><p>He growls under his breath, and I am surprised when he holds his forehead to my shoulder. I do my best to comfort him as his body trembles, running my hand up and down his back and using the other to gently rub his neck.</p><p>"It wasn't my idea." He whispers.</p><p>"What wasn't?" I mutter.</p><p>He shakes his head, and his arm locks around me as he places his other hand against the wall. I can hear his nails scrape against the cement wall as he slowly balls his hand into a fist.</p><p>"Eric?" I whisper.</p><p>He lifts his head and looks at me. He isn't crying, but there's so much emotion in his eyes that he should be.</p><p>"Jeanine wants to weed out the Divergent. Kill them all if they aren't able to do whatever it is she wants. We're supposed to eradicate Abnegation first." He mumbles.</p><p>"What?" I feel my stomach churn and my heart drop. "We're supposed to <em>kill</em> people?"</p><p>"Yes. The implants are supposed to control everyone. Whoever is Divergent will resist the affects and won't be controlled. I persuaded Max into making you leader so I wouldn't have to know if you're Divergent or not."</p><p>"I'm not." I reassure him, making him look at me. "My test came back with Candor and Dauntless as results."</p><p>"You're not lying?"</p><p>"You're speaking to someone who's from Candor. It's physically impossible for me to lie. I haven't been Dauntless long enough to break the habit."</p><p>He takes a heavy sigh of relief, and both of his arms lock around me. I pull him down for a kiss, and it's slow and sweet. He breaks the kiss to stare at me.</p><p>"I don't want you on the front lines with me." He mutters. "I want you somewhere safe. Erudite would be the best place."</p><p>"No, Eric." I argue. "The best place for me is by your side. I don't want to be stuck in a place I don't know."</p><p>He repeatedly shakes his head, and I make him kiss me again. He is stubborn with his choices, something I learned over the time being with him, but he is also careful about the decisions he makes concerning me. I silently plead with him when I break the kiss, and I can see his firm and stubborn walls breaking the longer he looks at me.</p><p>"Fine. You can be out there, but you have to stay right beside me." He growls. "The second you leave my sight, I will go after you and find you."</p><p>I nod. "I understand."</p><p>"Are you sure you can handle going through and seeing what's going to happen?"</p><p>"If it's something you think will benefit us and our future, I will."</p><p>He holds his forehead to mine, and I listen to his calm breathing.</p><p>~</p><p>I spend the rest of the day acting as if everything is normal, doing my best not to answer any questions correctly when I am asked about what the implants are for. It takes everything in me to lie, and it feels wrong to do it. Once it is time to sleep, I very quickly retreat to the small apartment I share with Eric. He's already inside, shirtless and his back to me. I am always left in awe at the intricate inking on his skin. The black ink on his neck barely crawls past his shoulders, and both of his arms are decorated with ink.</p><p>"What happened?" I whisper as I walk up to him, touching the very purple bruise on his side.</p><p>He flinches at the gentle touch. "Just had a small fight with another member who didn't take no as an answer for something. It happened a few days ago."</p><p>"Where was I during this fight?"</p><p>"You were busy preparing for the Fear Landscape I believe."</p><p>I hum as I wrap my arms around him, and his body relaxes at my embrace. I look up at him when he swiftly turns and hugs me.</p><p>"It's happening tonight." He mutters. "The plan will start at midnight."</p><p>"That's six hours from now." I state.</p><p>He hums as he nods, and he very slightly bends down to lift me up off of the floor. He makes me wrap my legs around his waist, and he growls as he kisses me. I giggle as he sits down, and I move so I'm straddling him rather than having my legs around his waist.</p><p>"We've got six hours to waste before everything changes." He mumbles.</p><p>"One hour." I correct him. "I'd like at least five hours to sleep."</p><p>He chuckles. "Then I guess we should get to wasting that one hour."</p>
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<a name="section0015"><h2>15. Taking Aim</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <b>Elizabeth</b>
  </em>
</p><p>I wake up to pitch black darkness and Eric's arms around me. The LED alarm clock sitting on his nightstand reads 11:30. I carefully move his arms as I sit up, and I stretch once I'm standing. I walk as silently as possible to the fridge, but his soft groans fill the room as soon as I open it.</p><p>"Why are you awake so early?" He groans. "We've still got fifteen minutes before we need to meet with Max."</p><p>"I don't know. I'm just awake." I reply, grabbing one of the soda cans.</p><p>I open the can and walk over to the bed, sitting on the edge as he sits up. I take a long sip of the drink, handing it to him after he asks for it. He hands it back to me, and I look over my shoulder at him. His hair is a mess, the wild brown locks darker in the natural moonlight. I set my drink down on the nightstand and lay beside him after he stubbornly tugs on my shirt. He leans over me, kissing me softly as his hand freely roams over my body.</p><p>"I don't know what will happen out there." Eric mutters. "Promise me that no matter what happens, you'll stay you."</p><p>"I'll stay me as long as you stay you." I reply.</p><p>He nods, and I smile as he kisses me once more. We spend the last minutes before we are supposed to get ready embracing each other. Once the clock reads 11:45, we both get up and get dressed. Eric wears his usual attire, pulling a black t-shirt from the closet and putting on his black jacket after tugging the shirt on. He decides to wear black jeans with almost unnoticeable rips at his knees. I settle on a black tank top, blue jeans, and black stealth boots. Eric doesn't hesitate to hand me a jacket. I pull it on without questioning him, and we step out of the room with exactly five minutes until midnight. We hurry silently through the compound. Eric, who runs slightly behind me, gasps in surprise when we reach the staircase down into the pit as I launch myself over the edge. I tumble to the floor and very easily roll to my feet, and I get to Max before Eric is down the stairs.</p><p>"Impressive." Max states.</p><p>"Thank you." I reply as Eric stands beside me.</p><p>The two begin talking, and I look around as the compound comes to life with sounds. Synchronized marching echoes through the halls as every member of the faction files into the Pit, and Max leads them all toward the trains. I follow Eric as he walks, and I don't say a word as we pass a several tables where guns and knives lay. The members are grabbing them as they pass.</p><p>We step into the first train car for passengers, and inside are several boxes neatly stacked. Eric grabs one from one of the stacks and sets it down, prying it open with a crowbar that lays on the floor of the train car. He proceeds to hand all of the other Dauntless members who are awake and alert guns before he turns to me. He steps closer, fastening a holster to my hip. He loads a pistol and slides it into my holster with ease, and he hands me two more magazines full of bullets. I slip them into my pocket as Eric attaches a leather band that crosses over my shoulder and wraps around my entire body. He places two knives in the small pocket, and he grabs one of the large rifles. I hold still as he checks to make sure the magazine in it is full, and he attaches it to my back. I let him place two more knives onto the leather band, and I hold two more in my hands. I hold them backwards, my grip tight on them as I swing my arm hard and fast. Eric dodges at the last second and smirks.</p><p>"My little killing machine." He chuckles.</p><p>~</p><p>We run out of the train as soon as it reaches Abnegation, and I stare at the square grey buildings. Several people are clad in grey robes, each of them looking like each other. Eric stands beside me, and I look at him as he turns and marches with the other alert members. They all start opening the train cars, and the mindless drones the members became file out. I hurry to melt into the crowd, and I hear Eric's angered scream of my name minutes later. I look around and watch the Dauntless members force the Abnegation people to their knees. Others break into the square buildings by kicking in the doors and breaking windows. I tilt my head as the Dauntless members stand in front of the Abnegation people. They all ready their guns and aim at their heads.</p><p>"Elizabeth!"</p><p>Eric's scream distracts me, and my ears ring as the Dauntless fire their guns. Eric runs up to me and grabs my shoulders, shaking me hard.</p><p>"What the hell are you doing? Didn't I tell you to stay with me?" He growls.</p><p>"I've never been to the Abnegation place." I whisper. "I just wanted to see."</p><p>"You were watching people get murdered!"</p><p>"I wasn't going to look at them. I was only curious as to how they'd do it."</p><p>Eric continues to growl and mutter under his breath angrily, and he grabs my arm hard enough to possibly cause bruising. He pulls me along behind him as he searches for Max. I look over at Isaiah just as he readies his gun, and he doesn't bat an eye as he shoots the Abnegation child in the head. Hailey stands close to him and rapidly shoots a couple in their hearts. I am taken by surprise when Eric makes Four stop, and I grab his arm when he holds his pistol to Four's head.</p><p>"Don't!" I snap. "He's not even conscious. What's the point of killing him now?"</p><p>"That's even better. He won't fight back." Eric growls.</p><p>Just as he speaks, Tris, who stands behind Four, breaks out of line and points her gun at me. My eyes widen in fear, and I hold my knives up as if I can outrun and maneuver around bullets. Four very quickly points his gun at Eric when Eric aims at Tris.</p><p>"Well, isn't this a surprise?" Eric laughs. "You're both Divergent!"</p><p>"Eric!" I growl, my grip on my knives tight enough to turn my knuckles white. "Now's not the time to make jokes."</p><p>He continues to talk to the two, distracting them long enough to have two of the alert Dauntless members ambush them. I follow Eric when he leads the way to one of the houses. Inside waits Jeanine Matthews, the Erudite leader, herself. Her eyes flick to me the instant she sees me, and Eric immediately pulls me to his side.</p><p>"So this is young Elizabeth?" Jeanine smiles, and I have a sick feeling in my stomach.</p><p>"Eli." I correct sheepishly, hiding behind Eric. "Nice to meet you."</p><p>"It's nice to meet you, too. I was wondering if I'd ever get to meet the Dauntless leader in training. I'm interested in you merely because of young Eric's protective actions." Jeanine's smile only widens as she speaks, and the sick feeling in my stomach worsens.</p><p>"Drop it." Eric snaps. "We've got two Divergents."</p><p>The alert Dauntless members drag Tris and Four into the house, and Jeanine turns her smile on them. I tune her out as she speaks, choosing to stand directly behind Eric and placing my forehead on his back. His muscles tense at my touch, but he relaxes after a few moments. I let out a shaky breath as they drag Tris and Four back out of the house, and Eric turns to comfort me.</p><p>"Maybe you shouldn't allow such a young child to be aware of her surroundings during this." Jeanine states.</p><p>"I can handle myself." I growl, suddenly angry. "I'm not a child."</p><p>Eric places his hands on my shoulders and kisses my forehead. "Relax."</p><p>I step around him and look at Jeanine. She has the same sick smile on her face, and her eyes hold amusement. I hold my knives up defensively.</p><p>"I am the best of my year, and I'm not afraid to fight. Even if I have to fight against you and whatever you're trying to do." I growl.</p><p>"Elizabeth." Eric warns.</p><p>"Telling me to calm down or saying I'm barking up the wrong tree won't make me shut up." I turn to face Eric. "I chose to come out here and witness everything, so I don't need to be told to calm down or be called a child."</p><p>I storm out of the house, fueled by both anger and embarrassment. I shoot a few of the Abnegation members out of pure anger, and I shoot a Dauntless member in the leg as I walk by them. I head for the trees, and I can hear Eric screaming my name as I melt into the forest.</p><p>~</p><p>"Are you sure you can do this?"</p><p>"I never wanted to go through with this to begin with. Innocent people are dying, and innocent people are murdering them. If I have to go against Eric to stop this massacre, I won't look back."</p><p>Four stares at me while we sit at the tables of the Amity eating area. I am clad in yellows and oranges, a stark contrast to the blacks and whites I grew up with and had been wearing for the past month. A fight breaks out between Tris and one of the boys from her year, Peter is his name. This results in us being called to Johanna's office. We all stand together as she speaks, warning us if it happens again that we'll be kicked out. I stare out of a window and notice very familiar armored vehicles.</p><p>"We've got to hide." I tell the others. "Erudite and Dauntless are here."</p><p>As I expected, Peter gives us away. Four shoves both Tris and I ahead of him as we flee from Amity, guns in our hands. I slide to a stop as the others run, and I turn sharply on my heel to launch a knife at whoever is chasing us. Eric lets a noise of pain as the knife whizzes by his face, and he holds his hand to his cheek as he continues running after us. I wait until there's a large gap between me and the others before I turn and bolt after them, shoving Eric and the other Dauntless just how fast I really am. The train is rushing past where the others are, and one of the cars opens. Tris stands at the opening, screaming my name and holding her hand out. I run side by side with the train, almost keeping up with the speed its going at. I can hear guns going off behind me, and I hear the familiar scream of anger.</p><p>I grab onto the handle on the side of the train when I reach the open car, and I pull myself up so I'm standing at an angle and dangling precariously with one foot on a step. I turn my body so I'm looking back at Eric, and I give a small arrogant wave as I watch him lose his stamina and slow to a stop.</p><p>~</p><p> </p>
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